Obligations of the Afterlife
by ChaosFTW
Summary: Sasuke's dead and stuck in Purgatory with only his brother for company. He's also one more mission away from gaining his white wings. The problem? It just happens to involve finding his idiotic ex best friend a soul mate… SasuXNaru Rated for foul language
1. The Prologue in Purgatory

A/N: I thought of this in maths. I was bored… I have a few doubts about it and it's not a serious "I'm going to update every other day" kind of story but "Something to live for" has hit a massive writers block wall that I'm trying to break down. This was the result and also-

Warnings: boy X boy and swearing. Heavy swearing.

* * *

"I cannot believe I ended up in the same stinking hellhole as you." Sasuke stated glaring furiously at the taller brunette across the endless expanse of darkness. The man in question wore a bored expression.

"Foolish little brother, this is PURGATORY, not Hell, so be grateful you're not down there with the lovely _Orochimaru sama_. Besides we have this argument every day, aren't you a little tired of it by now?"

"Fuck you Itachi, you're the one who should be in Hell! God knows why He put you in purgatory instead after all the things you've done. Anyway, every moment watching you suffer brings me satisfaction so shut the fuck up."

"Well technically you're only winding _yourself _up, and you too have done terrible things Otouto, so you are being _slightly _hypocritical, but go ahead by any means if it makes you happy to blame me. Besides I know Orochimaru _loves _it when you act like a child."

"Don't you fucking dare Itachi-"

"Oh well if you don't want _me_ to call him, and _you_ don't want to go down and pay him a visit in Hell, I could always arrange it with the Big Man for you and him to go back down to Earth and hook up in another life-"

"Itachi?" Sasuke asked sweetly, cutting off his brothers speech, his onyx eyes cute and pleading.

"Sasuke chan?" Itachi questioned, his reply equally as sugary.

"_Fuck off." _He spat. A look of amusement settled on the elders face.

"So many "F" words Sasuke, do you need to get laid or something?" Sasuke gaped and spluttered for a few moments, his fists shaking in anger, as he glared at his brother through angry coal eyes. "Or did you spend so much time chasing me that you remained a virgin?"

"What I did or didn't do is none of your fu-" A sharp look from Itachi changed Sasuke's words. "Freaking business!" But before Itachi could retort, a small pop that signified a new mission reached their ears.

"About time" Sasuke muttered darkly, reaching for the floating scroll which had appeared before them, but Itachi snatched it when it was only millimetres from Sasuke's grip. "Oi! This is MY turn to do a mission you selfish prick!"

"I got the scroll first." Itachi replied flatly "You're acting like a spoiled brat again Sasuke, you know we do these things individually."

"You bastard! I only have to do one more mission and then I get my white wings and can get out of here and finally meet Him!"

"So waiting a few more days wont matter will it?"

"Itachi- It could be YEARS for all we know. There _is _no time in limbo!" Itachi didn't even seem to be listening and was too busy scanning the document, vague concern lingering in his eyes.

"Hm… I doubt it's been years since you died Otouto." He stated quietly piquing Sasuke's interest.

"Why? What does it say?" he demanded, though the man in question refused to meet his brothers eyes when he replied.

"It can't have been too long Sasuke, because this mission… Involves Uzumaki Naruto."

Sasuke's eyes widened and he peered over his brothers shoulder, shuddering in disgust at having to go anywhere near his twisted spirit.

"How old does it say he is?"

"18." Itachi replied and Sasuke frowned, eyes clouding over.

"It's been 2 years then. 2 years since our last mission" he stated, silently adding _"and 4 years since I last laid eyes on him." _Itachi looked at his brother in uncertainty, and began in an abnormally hesitant voice.

"Do you… want this mission instead?" Sasuke's head snapped up.

"But I thought you said-"

"he's _your _friend." Itachi replied cutting across him. "This is about _your_ life."

"_Past _life." Sasuke corrected sullenly. "I swore to have nothing more to do with him."

"It'll help you gain your white wings." Itachi cajoled, flicking the other boys tiny flightless black stubbs to prove the point. "It's too good an opportunity to miss Sasuke. It could be another 200 years before a new mission is assigned to us, and by that time Naruto will have already passed over to meet Him and you will still be stuck in limbo." Sasuke eyes the paper warily.

"What is it about?"

"What's wrong Sasuke? Did you leave your brain back in the world of the living today?" Itachi teased, smirking at Sasuke's glowering face. "Maybe I should give you a quick recap of the rules of Purgatory to refresh your memory Otouto?" he suggested, smirking evilly and pretending to be oblivious to Sasuke's groan of exasperation. "You should already know that our mission as Dark Angels is to help those suffering in the living world, and therefore cleanse our souls of the sins we committed in life. After 1000 people have been helped, we free ourselves of our burdens and gain our white wings, and only then may we move on to the true afterlife and meet Him. Your best friend is currently the one in need of that help and guidance Sasuke." The raven ground his teeth at his brothers infuriating arrogance and his patronising tone.

"I know that _already_, you jumped up bastard, what does he need help _with_?"

"It would appear he is lonely." Itachi replied his eyes flicking through the neat writing on the scroll. "The report says the news of your death came as a shock, and he's now severely depressed. Apparently he needs a distraction."

"Well what am I supposed to do about it?" Sasuke asked moodily, scuffing the non existent floor with his foot. Itachi snorted and pushed the paper into his hands.

"Can you not read little brother?" Sasuke eyed the page in disbelief, drowning in the shame, the sheer cruelty, he knew this mission would bring upon him.

MISSION OBJECTIVE: FIND A SOUL MATE FOR UZUMAKI NARUTO.

"You have GOT to be joking…"

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A/N: love it? Hate it? Should I send it to the big library in the sky? Review and give me an opinion peeps ;P


	2. Mahem Amongst the Living

A/N: Thanks to my awesome reviewers! ^-^ Cookies for you guys lol. On a random note-this story is really difficult to write. Sasuke and Itachi are dead so they do not have a physical body so I'm trying not to use the names of body parts… It's freaking frustrating! As in I can't say- "Sasuke **saw**" or "A whisper reached Sasuke's **ears**" Also, sorry for potential mistakes. I did not proofread this because of exams. And i hope my other readers dont hate me for neglecting _"Something to live for"..._

Amazement, anger and disbelief coursed through Sasuke's soul as he surveyed the scene in front of him, rage rolling off him in waves of negative energy.

"Remind me- What the hell was the point of this mission again?!" he thought furiously, glaring at the oblivious blond boy barely 5 paces away. (1) The reason for his anger? A supposedly "depressed" Naruto was currently running around the streets of Konoha (Sasuke tailing him of course) pranking everyone in sight and asking for every girls number who happened to cross his path. He was _18_!

"Are you sure God didn't get the wrong guy?" he spat to Itachi. Immediately a blow to the whole of his being made Sasuke double over, groaning inwardly as his brothers voice resonated in his conscious.

"foolish little brother, if you can't think of anything more sensible to say, why not shut up and read the mission description?" Sasuke hissed under his imaginary breath, cursing the day Itachi's soul had been joined to his. It was an unfortunate side effect of being a Dark Angel. When carrying out missions, you needed a "mission buddy" to advise you from beyond the barriers of the living world, so the souls of 2 spirits had to be joined together. In his particular case, Sasuke was burdened with his older brother. Transmitting curses into his aniki's head, Sasuke began to read the scroll, his attention focussed on 2 words beside Naruto's description, _Mentally Unstable_. Immediately Itachi re-interrupted his musings. _Again_. "As you should know Sasuke chan, manic depressives are prone to severe mood swings. The reason Naruto appears to be relatively normal right now, is because he is yet to undergo his daily mood swing. Apparently they're very… violent."

"I _can_ read you know." Sasuke snapped at the interfering soul. "leave me alone Itachi, this is _my_ mess, _my_ responsibility, _my_ mission and I intend to do it _by myself_."

"Hm, sure. Just remember that failure to complete a mission results in permanent exclusion from heaven." Sasuke scoffed at his aniki's words.

"I'm an Uchiha. We _don't_ fail."

----------

Sasuke had been tailing the blond all day, but so far not a single inch of Naruto's "normality" mask had slipped. He had seen the other boy interact with many of the villagers in his usual obnoxious, confident way, he had trained in his usual explosive style and later on, he and Sakura had stopped in at ichiraku's and shared a meal. Yes, it would appear Naruto's life was going pretty well. He was getting stronger by the day, having fun with his friends and from the looks of it, he was also dating his longstanding crush/team mate. In fact Naruto's life was frighteningly average. Almost as if… Sasuke flinched at the painful thought of his own demise. _"It's almost as if he's forgotten all about me…" _

The raven's silent, ghostly footsteps echoed Naruto's as they headed the same way down the narrow, cobbled street towards the blonds apartment, until halfway through, Sasuke noticed a subtle change in the others foot movements. They were sluggish, jerky…. Uneven. As if Naruto was suffering from sudden fatigue and was struggling to stay upright. Unease set in and Sasuke hurried himself after his sunny counterpart, stepping _through_ his front door as Naruto closed it in his face.

In the shadows of the room beyond Naruto dragged his feet through to his bedroom to the left of the hallway and closed the door, locking it behind him. For a moment Sasuke hesitated, an all too human feeling of guilt and wariness chilling his spine and settling on his shoulders as he prepared to invade his ex best friends privacy. Sneering at his own weak, unfounded fears and pathetic show of humanity, Sasuke forced his spirit through the door and into the gloom beyond. Thankful that he had no eyes that needed to adjust to the poor lighting in Naruto's bedroom, Sasuke's undivided attention immediately focussed on the crumpled figure against the side of the bed. He was crying. Tears streamed down his cheeks whilst in his hands he held a dog eared photograph with many scratches and tears along the edges. As Sasuke moved closer he could tell it was the photograph of team 7, and after taking in the state of the rest of the room, and the many broken objects that littered the floor, he had a pretty good idea as to what had happened to the frame. He moved closer to the blond, glad for once in his… death(?), that as a spirit, he could now read people's thoughts. Allowing his spiritual energy to dissipate into the Naruto's mind, Sasuke got to work at tuning into the other boys jumbled thoughts. It was a tricky business, like separating a layered cake. First of all you had to cut through the icing, the first layer of a persons mind. Depending on how strong someone's outer mental barriers were depended on how easy it was to infiltrate them. Thankfully, as Naruto had never trained specifically in protecting against genjutsu's, the "icing" covering his inner thoughts was relatively soft. In between the outer layer you had the 2 layers of sponges and the jam in between. The jam was the target Sasuke wanted, the jam was the place in Naruto's mind where the thoughts were their clearest and easy to interpret. Above that "jam" was the spongy, muddled area where all the thoughts merged into a big air headed mess of noise and useless information, whilst below the jam on the other side was a deep murky sanctum filled with questions and inner emotions that would eventually turn into clear thoughts. Suddenly Sasuke was snapped out of his reverie. He had found it. The right station. The jam. The useless noise became clear and separated into individual sentences as Sasuke's spirit listened in on the blonds thoughts. The more he heard, the more his metaphorical heart began to ache.

"I want to forget now… it's been 4 years since he died, and the others have all moved on."

"So why can't I?"

"Why do I have to pretend it's all O.K?"

"Sasuke…"

"It's like I'm going back to being a kid again. Pranking people just to make me feel like I'm noticed and needed, because I feel like something's missing…"

"I don't like this. I didn't ask for this. I want to go back and redo my life with him… A second chance… Where there'd be no mistakes."

"Maybe if I had been with him as a child we could've had months, years together… Sasuke…"

"Why did you have to die?"

Each statement was punctuated by a sob of desperation, and with a sudden inner, emotional pain, Sasuke wrenched himself out of Naruto's head. As his spirit once again became a stable energy in the atmosphere of Naruto's room, and the blonds cries settled into shaky breaths, only one grim thought crossed his mind.

"God was right. He _seriously_ needs a distraction.

A/N: *hits self* I wanted to move AWAY from angst in this story! Damnit! Maybe I'm just an angst child at heart…

(1) Sasuke is dead. Invisible. A spirit. Get it?


	3. Girls Or Boys?

A/N: It's rather short but I REALLY wanted to end the chapter here. Enjoy

Sasuke muttered curses in his head, going through every possible kunoichi in Konoha that could make a good soul mate for Naruto. On his mental checklist so far, he had a grand total of 3 girls. Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuuga, and after some deliberation, Ino Yamanaka, but if he was honest with himself he had doubts about all 3. Sakura was, for want of a better word, sadistic, and Naruto hardly needed an abusive wife in the state he was in now. Hinata was too shy for Naruto's outgoing personality, and Ino… Well. Does it need explaining?

"_What do I do?" _he wondered helplessly, sensing Naruto lying in the bed opposite, and hearing his best friends sleep interrupted by snuffles and quiet moans. Sasuke quickly turned his attention back to his mental checklist, going through the pro's and cons for each girl again. Unfortunately it was then that Itachi decided to break into his troubled mind.

"You've forgotten something important Otouto."

"What do you want you bastard? Can't you see I'm slightly BUSY here?" Sasuke snapped back, swearing he could almost see the smirk on his older brothers face.

"But what about all the eligible young BOYS available for Naruto kun?" the man asked sweetly, snickering lightly as Sasuke's mind went blank.

"What?" He could hear Itachi tutting at his stupidity.

"Foolish little brother, it's perfectly reasonable that Naruto's soul mate could in fact be a boy." Sasuke was sure his imaginary eyebrows would've been raised right about now if he had a body, as he eyed the sleeping figure again.  
"He's not gay Itachi." the raven told his aniki firmly, remembering all the times Naruto had tried to spy on Sakura at the bathhouses. His brother was silent for a few moments, probably sighing from exasperation.  
"Sasuke, he doesn't have to be _gay. _A soul mate is a soul mate, regardless of gender. Just because Naruto's perfect match could be male, doesn't mean he checks out guys asses or reads Icha Icha yaoi edition. You seem to be unable to differentiate between the two."

"Are you calling me stupid?" the raven challenged, outraged by Itachi's nerve.

"No, stupid is too broad. You're just closed minded."

"Bastard."

"Fool."

"Do you want me to go mad and have my mind and soul break down into a thousand tiny pieces?" Sasuke growled, beaming the thoughts back to Itachi, who snorted in contempt.

"I get it Sasuke, don't worry, I'm already gone."

A second later the annoying buzz in Sasuke's conscious disappeared, leaving the raven on his own with his confused thoughts for company. He eyed Naruto's silhouette with a mixture of wonder and disbelief.

"_Boys?"_

A/N: The next chapter will be longer don't worry ^-^ Oh and PLEASE listen to this song. It's on my profile page and sung by Sasuke's voice actor. It has sasunaru written all over it XD


	4. Sakura

A/N: And so the crack humour begins. Ah, the endless torture a yaoi fangirl can make up… poor naru-chan Xd

"How do I get them to touch?!" Sasuke screamed in his mind, watching Sakura and Naruto sitting side by side at Ichiraku ramen stall. The only way he could determine if the 2 were soul mates was through touch. Sasuke would need to enter Naruto's mind just as he made contact with the girl and if she was his soul mate, he would feel a spark. Like a spark of chemistry, but much, _much _stronger. Then he would know if they were meant to be. Now as a spirit, Sasuke was limited in a number of ways. He only possessed the basic poltergeist abilities; pushing and pulling objects by using his spirits magnetic field, and above all he couldn't touch anything. It was a frustrating situation.

The raven watched as the 2 teens made polite conversation, hoping that Naruto would make his job easier and attempt to put his arm round Sakura or grab her hand. It never happened. Obviously Naruto had learned the hard way via Sakura's fists. Sasuke groaned inwardly as he realised he had only 1 option left; forcing them to touch. Summoning all his spirit energy together, he gathered it into one space, crushing it and condensing it until it was a powerful mass of energy waiting to explode. (1)

"Well, here goes nothing" he thought apprehensively, throwing his "chi" full force at Naruto's hand. Sasuke watched, satisfied, as the appendage was thrown directly towards Sakura's body without any care for the warning cry of its owner.

The problem? Naruto's hand hit the bowl of ramen along the way.

The consequence? The mouth watering, sanctimonious, God given food was upturned all over Sakura's head. Such a waste don't you think?

A deathly silence filled the air as the pinkette let the shock settle in. The calm before the storm.

"NARUTO I'M GONNA STRANGLE YOU!"

------

"Well" Sasuke thought, suppressing a smirk as he watched Naruto limp back along the village road with many cuts and bruises on his battered body. "At least I got them to touch."

The raven thought it rather ironic that the person Naruto had loved since childhood, not only wasn't his soul mate, but also beat him up for the hell of it. Or maybe Sasuke was a sadist. Doing an inner victory dance, Sasuke, erased Sakura's name off his mental checklist and turned to his next target. Hinata. This one would be trickier. The timid girl was just too shy to openly socialise with Naruto, so the raven would once again be forced to meddle. But this time, he would use tact. In fact he already had a plan, but it would have to wait until tomorrow because for now, the most important thing was to keep an eye on Naruto and observe his mood swing of the day, as much as it pained Sasuke. After all, it would do no good if Naruto became severely depressed and hurt himself or (God forbid) tried to commit suicide. It would jeopardise the mission and give Sasuke a one way ticket to hell. Not that he could do much to stop the blond, but he could always push him over or something… He was so caught up in his musings that before Sasuke knew it, he was already floating through Naruto's front door and retracing his ghost-steps to his regular haunt. Naruto's bedroom.

It was better tonight. There were no sobs or angry cries coming from the other boy, but Sasuke was a little apprehensive about attempting a mind invasion to gage his thoughts. The raven was scared of what he would hear. His best friends eyes were dull and unseeing, but every now and again he would mutter a few curses, probably from the pain of his injuries. Cautiously Sasuke moved towards Naruto's body. He knew it was his fault his friend was hurting right now, (mentally or physically) and he figured it was only right he tried to help ease the pain a little bit, even if he couldn't do much in terms of medical ninjutsu. He just wanted to take away that horrible deadened look in his normally sparkling eyes. Letting his spirit settle beside the other boys on the bed, Sasuke conjured up the happiest memory in his mind and let the pleasant feelings it provoked wash over him. He chose the memory of when he and Naruto had climbed to the top of the tree's during chakra training. It was a slightly odd choice, but to this day Sasuke still remembered fondly the sense of achievement and pride he had felt when competing with the blond that day. Those days were fun. Sasuke then set his mind on the task in hand, and gently pried open Naruto's outer mental barriers, right on the edge of his conscious (so he couldn't hear the blonds disturbing thoughts). Releasing the feel-good energy, he let the relaxing emotions he was experiencing hug Naruto's troubled mind. Like wrapping the blond in a blanket. He saw the boys eyes widen slightly and come to life as these foreign emotions washed over him, like a wave lapping the sandy shore.

"_This… Is weird."_

"_I'm not happy, I haven't done anything today that's made me feel particularly good, so why all of a sudden do I feel so relaxed?"_

"_I feel… content. It's strange…"_

"_In fact I feel sleepy as well… I guess i feel a bit too relaxed."_

Sasuke looked on as Naruto laid himself down on the bed and turned over, nuzzling his face into the pillow as the lethargic feelings overtook him. Before long he was snoring and drooling all over his bed sheets, and experiencing the best nights sleep he'd had for a long time. Suddenly Sasuke felt a second unfamiliar warm sensation within him as he looked at the idiotic sight. It was a small piece of the Naruto he used to know. Sasuke gently pulled his emotions out of Naruto's mind and smirked to himself, before gliding through the wall opposite, off to visit a certain Hyuuga Heiresses house.

"_Dobe." _

A/N: (1) Sorta like the idea of rasengan. Well hope u like it, Hinata'sup next. (cackles) I love torturing the Naruto chars XD


	5. The Big Bang

A/N: I love this chapter! XD Enjoy peoples.

It started with a Big Bang. No my dears, before you proceed to click on another fan fiction, let me reassure you that you're _not _in a science class, so don't run away just yet. However for the ghost of Uchiha Sasuke, his night of haunting really DID start with a BIG Bang. He'd only meant it as a quick scare, but his plan slowly became more and more elaborate and more and more terrifying for poor Hinata Hyuuga.

It was late. The Heiress had been quietly sleeping, her long hair splayed out across her pillow and her pale face meek and gentle, when the devious poltergeists tricks began. She suddenly heard a loud crash coming from her en suite bathroom, which woke her from her pleasant dreams, and after quickly activating her Byuakugan she cautiously approached said room.

"Wh-who's there?!" she demanded in a quiet, terrified voice, peering anxiously around the doorframe. There was nothing. No chakra signature, and no signs of any kind of break in, only 3 shampoo bottles lying innocently on the floor (1) She sighed in relief, almost tempted to giggle from her silliness and walked away, back to the comfort of her bed. 2 minutes later, however, she heard the sound of running water. This time she did not hesitate and ran into the bathroom, kunai at the ready, although her knees were shaking.

"S-show yourself!" But yet again she found the bathroom empty. Sasuke lounged idly by the fogged up mirror and moulded a small part of his spirit energy into a condensed point, applying it to the shiny surface and creating a line. Hinata's eyes watched in disbelief and horror as 3 letters formed on the mirror.

_BOO_

She screamed.

----------------------------

The high pitched noise woke Neji and Hiashi Hyuuga from their sleep, who came running to Hinata's room only to find the poor girl unconscious on the floor of the bathroom. Exchanging exasperated glances they gently carried her back to her bed and laid her down.

"Silly woman, she probably saw the chakra system of a squirrel outside and thought it was a ghost or something." Neji scorned, sneering at her limp form. In fact, if the brunette had taken the time to glance into the room beyond, he would've seen 3 letters slowly fading away on the huge mirror, and would've been shaken by how close his prediction was to the truth.

---------------------------------

(time skip- the next day)

It was a hot day in Konoha, with the sun at the highest point in the sky, and Naruto Uzumaki was busy reading an "educational" book given to him by Pervy Sage (God rest his seedy soul), under the shade of a Sakura tree. Hinata, approached him cautiously, blushing and twiddling her fingers together and he looked up from his "novel", hastily stashing it in his pocket and smiling at her kindly.

"Hinata chan. Are you O.K?"

"Erm, well… I er…" she stuttered, having gone bright red from seeing the incriminating literature. Sasuke (who was, as predicted, floating behind her) was quickly running out of patience, and to speed things up he gave a very gentle pull on the base of her hair. The effect was immediate. She shrieked and jumped, spinning round to face her attacker and Naruto gazed on, thinking that the Hyuuga Heiress had finally lost the plot. She blushed even deeper looking remarkably like a tomato at his questioning stare.

"You're awfully jumpy today Hinata chan. What's up?"

"I… Ah, that is-would you mind-" she took a deep breath and all at once yelled out her request "pleasecomeovertomyhousetodayandgoghosthuntingwithmeNarutokun!"

"What?" Naruto replied, blinking stupidly, so Hinata had to take a second deep breath and repeat herself slowly.

"I-I said, please c-come over to my house today and help m-me with a ghost hunt." Naruto looked puzzled and disbelieving.

"A ghost hunt?"

"M-my house is haunted." (2) Hinata confirmed her milky eyes wide with fear, remembering the horrors of the previous night. The blond nodded, rather unsurely, his body language showing he was obviously unconvinced.

"Riiiiiight. Sure."

"It's the truth Naruto-kun!" She protested, her stutters having miraculously disappeared for once.

"So why do you say that?"

"Last n-night, I was asleep and… I h-heard n-noises. There was no one t-there that I could detect with my Byuakugan b-but then… I found writing on the mirror." She tactfully left out the fainting part. "M-my cousin and father wont h-help me, they'll just say I'm b-being unreasonable."

"But Hinata-chan- why ask me? I mean you have Kiba, Shino and all the choice of sensei's to help you out and they're so much better at tracking, so why specifically me?" Hinata already had the perfect lie prepared for that little question.

"W-well… You're empathetic." Outrage settled on Naruto's face and he opened his mouth in protest

"How dare you?! I'll have you know I'm the strongest ninja in Konoha, and I'm also pretty intelligent when I wanna be, so I am in no way-"

"It means _caring_ Naruto." Hinata replied quietly, fighting back a giggle as he shut his mouth and flushed in embarrassment

"Oh."

"I just thought seeing as you're so good at reaching out to people's emotions you could help whoever's soul it is pass on to the other side."

"I… Er…"

"Please?" she begged, using the infamous puppy eyes. Naruto caved.

"When do we do this?"

"M-my cousin and father are attending a m-meeting with the H-Hokage tonight, so we can d-do it then." Unseen to both of them, Sasuke's omnipresent gaze watched over them, feeling satisfied with his accomplishment. They had fallen for his trap, hook line and sinker.

A/N: I LOVE THIS CHAPTER LOL! Less Sasuke in this but never mind. He'll get his screen time soon enough.

(1) Based on a frequent experience with our shower at home. If one bottle's knocked over it's like a domino effect and the whole lot crashes down -.-

(2) Could you not imagine Hina-chan saying this? XD


	6. Ghost Hunt

iA/N: I'm amazed. I have a brand new look since my friend decided to give me a makeover at her birthday party. I mean, normally I don't wear any makeup or stuff but thanks to the miracle of EYELINER I've discovered I make a really beautiful goth. And my new look has inspired me to make my story even better ;)

"Hinata, we've been at it for _5 hours_!"

"T-the complex is l-large Naruto kun, please be a little m-more p-patient. I'm sure s-something will h-happen soon." The blond looked disbelievingly at the brunette and experimentally stretched his legs in the cramped, dingy doorway, making Hinata shuffle out the way in alarm as his arm got surprisingly close to her thigh.

"But I'm _bored." _the blond whined loudly, as the girl shushed him in case he scared away the "lost spirit". Sasuke watched the scene with amusement, as Naruto's patience got thinner and thinner and thinner and the fidgets got progressively worse. On top of that, it was common knowledge (or at least Sasuke knew) that Naruto was scared of ghosts, so he intended to make the blond sweat for a little bit in the semi darkness before putting his master plan into action. Naruto suddenly stood up, running hand through his messy, blond locks in exasperation.

"That's it, I've _had it _Hinata chan, sorry but I've got home to go-"

**CRASH**

"_To_?" he squeaked, cowering behind the now fully alert Hinata. She wore a satisfied expression on her face as if saying "_I told you so", _and indicated down the long corridor with her head, speaking to the blond in a hushed whisper.

"That was f-from the b-basement." She watched the colour drain out of Naruto's face and he groaned under his breath.

"Why is it always the basement? Can't the ghosts ever pick someplace nice and bright to haunt for once? Like the garden or something?"

"A-are you scared Naruto kun?" Hinata challenged mockingly, smiling slightly. He blushed and pouted, crossing his arms over his chest

"NO! I Uzumaki Naruto am never scared of-"

**BANG**

"… I think the ghost wants me to shut up." Naruto stated shakily, his voice sounding slightly giddy from fear and excitement. Hinata shook her head and padded down the hallway, fists clenched in fear, her legs quivering, with an extremely jumpy blond idiot following behind her. When they finally reached the basement it was like one of those dungeons you see on those horrible cliché horror films. The door was grimy with a broken padlock hanging limply against the doorframe, and there were a few rickety, dampened wooden steps leading down into the inky depths of darkness. Naruto doubted they would hold their weight. Delicate Hinata, perhaps, but he was no ballet dancer.

"L-ladies first Hinata chan!" he beamed holding his arm out for her to take, his fake smile concealing his discomfort, but as soon as the heiress took one step away from the door, Sasuke had (with all the other worldly strength he possessed) slammed it shut behind her. Hinata and Naruto screamed in unison and clung to each others arms in the darkness.

"Save me!"

"I don't wanna die!"

"Mommy! Daddy!"

After getting over their panic they hastily let go of each other, Hinata feeling the heat rise to her cheeks and Naruto trying his best not to fall through the dodgy steps as he moved away from her.  
"So… er… What now?" he asked nervously

"F-find the s-source of t-the noise?" Hinata suggested in a tiny voice.

"But what shut the door?"

"I d-don't know…" Just as Naruto tried lunging for the doorknob the teens heard a sound that made their hearts jump into their throats. The sound of a rusty padlock being clicked into place. Locked in.

"LET ME OUT!" Naruto screamed hammering his fists on the door "I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"

"Naruto kun…"

"I HAVE RIGHTS! YOU CAN'T LEAVE THE NEXT HOKAGE HERE!"

"_Naruto kun_-!"

"GO TO HELLYOU GHOSTIE!"

"Naruto kun!" Hinata yelled in terror as Naruto's movements became too wild and he tumbled off the safety of the ledge and onto the rotten steps. As predicted- they gave way.

"ARGH!"

"N-Naruto kun!" Hinata yelled after him, jumping nimbly down the treacherous stairs, following the blonds scream. From the ledge, Sasuke's soul watched on with a feeling of building irritation

"_Stupid Ursuratonkachi… Messing up my perfect plan…"_

Naruto was collapsed amongst the broken objects in the basement, his head was bleeding from a minor cut on his forehead, and he could feel his arm swelling from a horrible bruise. Hinata was kneeling over him, concern etched on her soft features

"A-are you O.K?"

"Take a good look." Naruto replied weakly, smiling. She gave a relieved laugh at his terrible acting skills and reached down to her ankle, ripping off a small piece of material from her pyjama bottoms.

"H-here you're bleeding, l-let me h-help-" Sasuke felt the cogs in his conscious begin to turn as Hinata's hand reached out in slow motion towards Naruto's cheek.

"Touch… She's going to-" Realisation dawned and he hastily propelled himself forward into Naruto's mind "_Touch him_!" Sasuke felt a cool hand rest upon Naruto's cheek and felt a gentle "pfft" of hormonal energy as skin met skin. That was it. No fireworks. Not even a spark. Just a weak, wet fizzle. Bitter disappointment seeped into he ravens soul and he resigned himself back to the drawing board, scribbling out Hinata's name with imaginary white chalk. She was not Naruto's soul mate. Suddenly there was a loud scraping sound and then a crash as the door of the cellar was thrown open to show the massive figure of Hiashi Hyuuga towering over the 2 teens.

"Hinata. Care to tell me how you and Uzumaki happened to be locked in the cellar together?"

A/N: hehe, so fun…


	7. FIJ

A/N: Special thanks to Itooshii Koneko for reminding me about bringing in Sai ^-^. And thanks to my lovely reviewers ;)

"Shit this is SO not going to plan…" Sasuke thought. His spirit energy was jumpy and unsettled, having just witnessed the second most traumatic experience of his life. (The first being the Uchiha massacre, but believe me, this one came pretty close.) He was forced to watch as his next supposed target- Ino- attacked that _replacement, _in a horrible fit of F.I.J (Fangirl- Induced- Jealousy) Tears had streamed down her cheeks and she looked just about ready to castrate that perverted idiot… What was his name again? Sai? Sasuke never really had cared much for his clone. In fact she had screamed profanity so much that the raven had struggled to recognise her words.

"You fucking, good for nothing, two timing, playing, conceited, self absorbed, selfish bastard mother fucker!" she yelled, clawed finger pointed accusingly at her now, EX boyfriend. They were on a busy village road and people were starting to stare as the couple's fight got more and more heated, on one side anyway. Sai, oddly enough, had done nothing to stop Ino's anger and had instead got out a book from his backpack named: "Language patterns and their positive and negative connotations." and continued to listen attentively.

"Why the hell did you keep leading me on you fucker?! Was I just some cheap whore you could use for a good fuck?! Why didn't you tell me there was someone else you shitheaded bastard?!"

"Are you by any chance angry gorgeous?" he asked blandly, flicking to a page titled- "Profanity and it's Uses". That did it. Ino grabbed the book from Sai's hands and tore it up in front of his impassive face, giving him a good, hard slap with her right hand for good measure. Sai spat out the blood and gave her a dirty look.

"That was foolish gorgeous. That was a library book you just defiled, you'll have to pay a fine now."

"SCREW THE FUCKING BOOK!" she exploded, grabbing Sai by his shoulders and shaking him. "YOU CARE MORE ABOUT A LIBRARY BOOK AND A STUPID, DUMB IDIOT BLOND MORE THAN ME! HOW CAN YOU BE SO FUCKING COLD?!" Sai smirked to no one in particular.

"I can assure you there's only 'dumb blonde' around here that I can see, and it's not Naruto." That stung. Ino let go of Sai's clothes as if she'd been burned.

"Fag."

"Slut." came the easy reply, Sai turning round and casually walking off leaving a fuming Ino behind.

Now why did this affect Sasuke's plans? 2 reasons:

1. Ino was heartbroken, and obviously felt no attraction to Naruto if she had fallen for Sai. Besides, did Sasuke REALLY want to condemn Naruto with a pissed off, wailing Ino for the rest of his life? No.

2. From what Sasuke could deduce from the situation, Sai had the hots for Naruto and to put it simply, that thought repulsed Sasuke. Out of every possible guy, there was NO way Naruto was being set up with his _replacement_; it would be like infringing every copyright law on the planet. You want the "real Mc Coy?" Don't buy crisps from Poundland. (1)

Sasuke sighed inwardly and crossed Ino off his mental checklist, knowing the only way to stop Sai's infatuation would be to find Naruto's soul mate. Fast. And seeing as there were no more girls left, it was time to test the bachelors. Naruto's friends were off limits for obvious reasons: dating a long standing friend was too weird, even for Sasuke. As far as he was concerned there was only 1 suitable candidate: Gaara no Sabaku. The raven felt a shiver run through his being, thinking of those haunting, emotionless teal eyes so like his own, onyx pair. Him and Gaara were very much the same, stoic and power obsessed souls, and yet so totally different. Because whereas the Uchiha had given into his power-lust, Gaara had a greater inner strength that had enabled him to look beyond the death and destruction that used to bring him happiness, and it was all Naruto's doing. Naruto had _it_. That special something that made people gravitate towards him, listen to him and respect him. Sasuke was one of the few who understood _it_, and perhaps the only one who could explain _it_. He just knew that the blond could change people. He could heal their hearts in a way Sasuke had never thought possible. Sure, Medical ninjutsu was great and all, but the blond was able to perform even greater miracles; he could fix a broken heart. Just like he had fixed Gaara, and changed the minds of so many others who had seen him as a good for nothing monster, purely through his words and actions. And somewhere inside him Sasuke knew that, had he lived to tell the tale, Naruto would've healed him eventually too.

"_Too bad he'll never see me again."_

A/N: (1)… I just decided I liked the sound of it. Don't ask about my insane quotes…

Well another chapter, another imaginary dollar, I like this one, I got to go all sappy and emotional ^0^


	8. JUST coincidence?

A/N: Woot! I'm back *peace sign* I'm stopping exam stress by cranking this chapter out and avoiding my exam revision. Not a good idea considering these are my mock exams… Oh well. You lot come first.

Warning: An OOC Sai. But never mind… And the word "rape" is in here, as well as many mentions of perverseness…. No actual rape/lemon/make out scene, and even if there WAS it would be Sasunarusasu not Sainaru *shudders*.

If Sasuke had thought he was desperate before, Lord knows he would've been suicidal by now, had he been alive that is... The fact was- there was no way out. There was no more time left to contemplate potential soul mates; Sasuke knew he had to had to act, and he had to act _now_ before anything else got out of hand.

So what kind of awful things had transpired in the aftermath of Ino and Sai's break up that had reduced the Uchiha to a pile of quivering static?

Sai had "happened."

Since the disaster with Hinata's little "ghost hunt", Naruto had been under Hyuuga Hiashi's constant supervision. And I MEAN constant. The man had forced Naruto to stay within the Hyuuga compound in order to repay his treachery with some good, hard, back breaking, manual labour. The Hyuuga's had naturally separated Hinata from Naruto, and the two teens were in 2 different halves of the estate, each being supervised by a household member. So where did Sai come into this? Well, in almost every town in the Land of Fire, it was a well known fact that Sai was a pervert. Frequently the sallow-skinned brunette would be spotted skulking in unsavoury parts of different towns when he had a day off, and when he DIDN'T leave the village he would remain locked in his apartment all day long. Doing what, was anyone's guess. His team mates, of course, bared the brunt of his sordid behaviour. Thankfully Sakura seemed safe from his antics, because Sai showed her next to no interest, and when he did it was only to insult her but Naruto on the other hand was not so lucky. At every opportunity Sai would make a coarse comment about the size of Naruto's penis, and when they went to the bath houses he would often try and sneak a peak at the blonds private area. Most of the time Naruto was lucky and managed to avoid Sai for as long as possible, but during his week-long punishment with the Hyuuga's, his luck ran out.

As you can probably imagine, Naruto's "manual labour" involved very difficult, tiring, sweaty work, which more often than not, resulted in the removal of his shirt, and as the blond was also working outside for much of the time, in plain view of the villagers, it was no surprise that, sooner or later, a pervert would work the opportunity to his advantage. That pervert being Sai. Sasuke had watched in contained anger as his replacement casually leaned against the fence that separated him from the blond, oggling his ass when Naruto wasn't looking. Sasuke had suddenly found himself wishing that fragile, wooden fence was a mile thick and made of reinforced steel.

"Sai- what do you want?" Naruto had asked, not particularly brusquely but direct enough to demand a straight answer. No bull crap please. Sai, being an emotionally inhibitive idiot, had not picked up the hint the blond was busy and gave Naruto an amazingly bright smile. Fake of course.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to come over to my house later on Naruto kun." Before the blond could refuse the offer, Sai had whipped out a book from apparently thin air. Perhaps he summoned it? In his hands was a book that read: "Friends are for Life, not Just for Christmas." Still beaming that fake smile into Naruto's eyes, Sai continued his sales patter.

"It states here that in order to make a strong, healthy, friendship bond, companions will often invite one another to each others houses to spend quality time together. I figured it was only the polite thing to do Naruto kun." Sasuke felt his heart leap into his mouth as Naruto's sparkling blue eyes seemed to dim in thought, considering the offer. Had Sasuke been more of a man, and less of a ghost he would've yelled the obvious:

"DON'T DO IT! HE'LL ATTACK YOU, RAPE YOU AND LEAVE YOU ALONE TO SLOWLY BLEED TO DEATH! DON'T DO IT NARUTO!"

But as he had no vocal cords, and was, by nature, a stuck up, antisocial, prick, that particular pleasure was denied to him. But evidently some of Sasuke's common sense had seeped into Naruto's head because the blond's eyes cleared and he slowly shook his head.

"I'm grounded here 'till Hiashi lets me out. Another time maybe..." but Sasuke could see the crossed fingers behind Naruto's back. (1) Sai sighed and turned away from the blond dejectedly.

"Well, if you get a free minute-"

"I know where you are." Naruto finished, having memorised the familiar conversation by now. Once Sai had left and Sasuke's anger had dissipated a little, in his minds eye, his way ahead was clearer than ever before. He had to go to Suna, and get Gaara no Sabaku to visit Konoha, come hell or high water. But how? Thankfully that particular problem was soon taken out of his hands. Or more precisely- 2.5 minuteslater that particular problem was taken out of his hands, when Hyuuga Hiashi made his appearance in the garden. The blond looked up nervously as Hiashi approached him, and wiped his filthy hands on his trousers, hastily dropping the spade on the ground. Very out of character for Naruto you might say, but the Hyuuga had an aura that radiated power, and could send even the brashest, coarsest, of teenagers running for the hills with a single word.

"Hiashi- what's up?" Naruto asked, trying to hide the earth stains on his trousers. Hiashi looked at Naruto with distaste, and eyed his workmanship with an indifferent stare. The blond began to fidget under the scrutiny.

"It's not done yet… I'm only halfway-"

"This isn't an inspection." Hiashi interrupted, milky white eyes glaring at Naruto, commanding him to be quiet. The blond obeyed. "I have come to inform you of a very important matter." Naruto's eyes hardened in concern at Hiashi's tone. "Tsunade sama has requested I inform you that a conference with the Kazakage of Suna will be taking place within the next 3 days. They will be arriving tomorrow and you have been ordered to be their escorts whilst they're in Konoha." The smile was almost inconceivable at first, but before long it was spreading across Naruto's face like one of those annoying energy saving light bulbs, getting brighter by the second. (2)

"You mean- Gaara's coming here?!" Hiashi let a small smile slip through his mask.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean" The head Hyuuga didn't even try to stop Naruto as he vaulted over the garden fence and started sprinting to the Hokage's office, he simply watched with a contemplative gaze. Sasuke stood behind him, though the other man would never know it, and ran through the latest turn of events sceptically in his mind.

"What are the chances this really all a big coincidence?"

Sometimes Sasuke wondered if the fates were conspiring with him.

But most times he thought they were trying to screw him over.

A/N:

(1) ya know the "jinx" sign. If you're lying to someone, you cross your fingers behind your back to dispel the "evil karma" that comes from the lie.

(2) They're these REALLY irritating light bulbs that take about 5 minutes to come onto maximum brightness. Until then you're in the fucking dark, trust me, they're irritating. I have one in my room.

So, I'm sorry for over dramatising Sai, but this is (hopefully…) the last chapter we'll see him in. I don't like him much as you can probably tell… And also- I've written a lime scene for the last chapter. I've wanted to try writing it for a long time because I love new challenges… but never really brought myself to do it. And then I saw how many reviews these things get and realised that actually- society is perverted by nature and I'm not exactly gonna be "disgusting" or "weird" by writing it. Rest assured it will not be graphic, nor will it be "mechanical". There's nothing that disgusts me more than reading a lemon/lime with no feeling, but if you would prefer me not to write it- please tell me.


	9. Gaara

A/N: Words cannot describe how angry and pissed off at my sister I am right now… Thanks to her kids, I HAVE CHICKENPOX! It's freaking embarrassing! A teenager with chickenpox… *dies of shame*. On the plus and minus side, I miss a couple of my mock exams. I think I've done O.K on the ones I've already taken… I almost started laughing in the middle of my maths exam though because I couldn't answer the simplest questions XD I looked slightly crazy, and the examiner gave me a really weird look. So… 2 weeks to do nothing but write and resist the temptation to scratch… XD

"Gaara!" Naruto yelled happily, running towards the gates of Konoha village, fully intent on suffocating the redhead via a painful, bone crushing, love-hug. Or he would've, had Gaara not casually stepped aside as Naruto ran past him.

"You're an idiot." the sand-nin stated, offering his hand to help the blond up from his crumpled heap on the floor. Temari and Kankuro both sighed in unison, but with endearment rather than annoyance. It had been 2 years since the trio had last set foot in Konoha after all…

"Gaara!" Naruto repeated, beaming happily at his long lost friend who gave the blond a half smile in return. Sasuke was especially pleased to see it wasn't a forced reaction on Naruto's part, he was genuinely happy to see the redhead again.

"It's going well." he thought contentedly, but his heart hardened as soon as he had thought the words. In delicate matters like this, one could leave nothing to chance, and as always- Sasuke had the perfect plan prepared.

Soon enough Gaara and Naruto were walking together on the village road, the others having left them for some unknown reason. The midday rush on the streets pushed the 2 boys closer together, so much so that at one point Naruto was tempted to grab Gaara's hand in case the crowd suddenly changed direction and carried him off. But knowing it would just piss the redhead off- he refrained. For Sasuke, It was the perfect opportunity. With such a large crowd around them- how would Naruto know if he "accidentally" got pushed by some "unknown" person? Stepping _through _the crowd, Sasuke threw his energy at the square of Naruto's back, effectively shoving him onto Gaara. Naruto's cheeks dusted pink when he felt the other boys lips press against his as they both lost their balance. And that was it. It was done. Sasuke's "amazing" plan was completed and ruined in the space of 2 seconds. The raven hovered in the air, both depressed and angry at his bad luck. How was this possible? Out of all the people… Surely Gaara should have been "_The One_"? He watched on with building frustration as Naruto awkwardly held out his hand, which Gaara reluctantly took as he was hauled to his feet. As soon as they were stable, both boys looked away from each other in embarrassment. If Sasuke still had teeth he would've been grinding them right about now- couldn't God SEE the chemistry?! If they worked so well together- why weren't they soul mates?! (1)

"Can't it just be simple for once?" Sasuke wondered, sighing in his head, and scratching Gaara's name off his mental checklist. What could he do NOW?

"Why not just ASK _him_ for ideas Otouto?" came a sly sounding voice that interrupted his brainwaves.

"Fuck off Itachi- no one asked for your opinion." Sasuke shot back, almost automatically.

"Just calm down Sasuke, you asked for my help."

"It was a rhetorical question to myself- not for my interfering, eavesdropping bastard of a brother."

"What's wrong Otouto? Scared of facing him again? Your dear 'brother' Naruto?"

"You're walking a very thin line here Itachi." the raven warned, sending a death wave (2) to his brother.

"Or maybe you're just a coward who's clutching at straws to avoid the responsibilities you have as a '_best friend_'."

"He is no best friend of mine."

"Lie to yourself all you like Sasuke, but I know your heart is still tied to that boy."

"I'm not lying." Sasuke insisted stubbornly "And I _have_ no heart remember? And neither do you!"

"As long as us spirits still have emotions, we have as much heart as anyone else."

"Wise ass." Itachi wisely chose to ignore the jibe and continue with his lecture.

"The _point_ is- you have to prepare yourself Sasuke. You have to get ready to reveal yourself to him."

'_What?- And have his idiotic taste in women destroy all my good work so far and me have to put up with his ramblings for the rest of my stay? __**Great idea brother.**__'_

"Seeing me again could destroy him Itachi." the raven stated watching Naruto's retreating back, with a mixture of apprehension and nostalgic longing. It was the torment of someone wanting something they can never have. For Sasuke: The life he could never have.

"Yes that's a possibility…" Itachi agreed solemnly. "But it could also save him."

To that reply- Sasuke had no answer.

(1) I believe Gaara and Naruto do have chemistry, but just not as much as Sasu n Naru lol. I hate Gaanaru with a passion actually, oddly enough they are the first kiss in this fic :O

(2)- Like a death glare only like a thought full of murderous intent ^-^

I struggled with this chapter… That's a bad sign for me. It stayed on my PC for 2 weeks, which for me usually signifies the onset of writers block :O But- next chapter we have- *drum roll* THE REVELATION! Naruto and Sasuke finally meet again after 4 years apart. *peace sign* Review please ^-^


	10. The Confrontation

A/N: Hey I'm back guys :D I've just finished my mock exams after clearing myself of the chickenpox XD Actually I did rather well- I beat my English scores and gave my English teacher a good kick in the teeth for all the times she's complained about my appalling handwriting XD

If Sasuke had hands, his palms would be sweating right now. Emotionally he was a nervous wreck and he had no idea how to calm down. Naruto was currently laying on the bed, a kunai glinting in one hand, with a familiar photograph in the other and he was slowly shredding Team 7's image piece by piece, until there was a mass of curly strips on the floor. Sasuke wondered if it was some kind of "deep" and "meaningful" metaphor that Naruto was representing; perhaps he was trying to express how his heart had been shredded when Team 7 had fallen apart, and this was some way to release his emotional pain. But then the Uchiha remembered- This was _Naruto_. He didn't DO "deep". As Sasuke studied him further he realised he was right- the crystal blue eyes were vacant and unfocussed, gazing unseeingly at the wall, his mind a 1000 miles way. Whatever Naruto was doing- it didn't have a specific purpose. His mind was just on autopilot.

Once he had finished destroying the first picture, he reached into his pocket, and to Sasuke's confusion took out a second copy, and started shredding it all over again. The raven didn't miss how when it came to his own face, the strokes became more violent and purposeful. The spirits energy level dropped as the apprehension within his soul increased- did he really want to face a mentally unstable jinchuuriki?

"Don't bottle it now Otouto!" Itachi growled warningly but Sasuke shoved the thoughts out of his head as quickly as they came.

"For once Itachi- you are NOT going to ruin my life. I'm going to do this on my own." The elder Uchiha knew better than to defy a moody Sasuke, but he had got the younger's back up- just what he had intended.

'Let's do this." Sasuke thought grimly, making his way over to the nearby mirror. It wasn't particularly big, and it was cracked in one corner which could cause a bit of distortion but it would do the job easily enough. Sasuke smirked inwardly at his brilliance- mirror's reflect light rays, so if he were to transfer his energy into the glass, the light reflecting off the surface would give his spirit a visible form. Visible so that Naruto would be able to see him. He wouldn't be able to do anything with the image- because he didn't have muscles to move his body but by creating a still image he would be able to get Naruto's attention. Besides- talking to someone in their head would be plain disturbing if they couldn't see who they were meant to be talking to. Bracing himself mentally, Sasuke stepped through the glass and spread out his energy across every inch of the smooth surface, feeling a strange prickling sensation as the light rays which had so often slipped through his translucent form before, now rebounded sharply off him. It felt good to feel again. Without warning Naruto instinctively looked up, perhaps his ninja senses had detected the prescience of an intruder, even if said intruder was just a harmless spirit.

The world held its breath as blue eyes regarded the older, more mature looking pale man in the mirror.

Recognition quickly turned into a look of bitterness, twisting the gentle features into something ugly.

"Bastard- why don't you just fuck off already?"

For a moment Sasuke's soul experienced that strange flip flop sensation in your stomach when you miss a stair in the dark.

'_What did he just tell me to do?!' _Naruto sighed.

"Seriously Sasuke, give up the ghost." the raven would've winced at the irony. "I know I'm crazy and hallucinate things, oh and by the way- seeing as you don't even move or say anything you're also a very CRAP hallucination, but it's never really you so why don't you just save us some time and go now, rather than have me throw a kunai at the mirror or something to prove your nothing but a fucked up image?" Suddenly an overwhelming tide of curses burst into Naruto's head, producing an instant migraine, and making the blond cradle his head in pain.

"YOU FUCKING UNGRATEFUL **URSURATONKACHI**!"

"I'VE WORKED MY ASS OFF FOR YOU THESE PAST FEW DAYS AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?! BY TELLING ME TO "_FUCK OFF ALREADY_"?!

THANKS A BLOODY LOT NARUTO, MAYBE I WILL LEAVE YOU TO SELF DESTRUCT AFTER ALL YOU SELFISH **GAKI**!"

By now Naruto was lying on his back muttering a mantra of "make it stop" over and over again and by the time the onslaught had ceased he had forgotten all about the fact that his supposed "hallucination" was still in the room. Blue eyes cracked open and the blond started upon seeing Sasuke still there, staring blankly ahead in the mirror. Naruto studied the ravens profile, as a dry smile set upon his lips.

"Wow, you're even more lifelike than before. You insult me now as well. I guess I'm crazier than I originally thought." Again the same, deep voice cut into the blonds thoughts, though the lips of the figure in the glass remained still.

"So you're telling me having regular conversations with me inside your head is "normal" for you?"

"Pretty much."

"Shit, it's worse than I thought…."

Naruto shook his head and let his cerulean eyes glass over, his unfocussed gaze burning into the wall, completely ignoring Sasuke.

"_Just go_." Inside himself, Sasuke felt his spirit heart soften slightly.

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I have to help you."

"Well, this a new one. Maybe I should get those ADD pills from Tsunade baa chan after all…"  
"What do I need to do to prove that it really IS me?" Sasuke asked, squashing his annoyance with the dramatised patience of a saint, his overly calm voice resonating like an echo inside Naruto's thoughts. The blond fixed his eyes on the still image of his ex best friend again and observed the lifeless limbs and calm face.

"Touch me. Prove you're not just a picture."

There was silence and suddenly Naruto felt an inexplicable rush of pain and sorrow flood him, and heard Sasuke's wounded voice.

"Of all the things…"

"What's the problem now?"

"I… Can't"

"Why not?!" Naruto demanded angrily, his voice accusing. "If you were real you'd be able to prove to me-"

"I'm just an energy." Sasuke cut across the other boy brusquely. "I'm not a solid object anymore." Naruto scoffed and looked away, a scowl on his face.

"I knew you were just a hallucination."

"Just because I can't touch you, doesn't mean it's not me."

"Oh yeah? Prove it."

"When we were 12." Sasuke began, making Naruto look up at the figure one more "That time with Haku, you cried for me." Naruto snorted in contempt.

"You think parroting the past will make me believe it's you speaking?"

"And later on, after Itachi came and fought me… I was in shock and you kept asking if I was alright."

"Stop bringing up memories."

"Don't you see Naruto? You don't _want_ to think about these things but you're hearing them anyway! Doesn't that prove I'm really here? That I'm influencing your thoughts?"

"I've lost control over my thoughts as well then." Naruto snapped back.

"Why do you keep denying the truth? Are you a _coward?!" _Even though Naruto could not intrude into Sasuke's mind as easily as the raven could intrude into his, Sasuke definitely felt a spike of anger as rage coursed through the other teen.

"I don't run away from anything bastard."

"Then accept the truth."

"When you give me proof, I _will_."

"FINE." Sasuke spat out, anger driving him to do crazy things. Letting his emotions break into Naruto's mind, he released the one memory he knew Naruto wouldn't doubt. The only memory Sasuke had never shared with a single living soul.

Until now…

_**///Flashback/memory sequence…///**_

_A seven year old Sasuke lay helpless on the floor face down, fear freezing the blood in his veins like a torrent of ice. _

"_W-why?" he croaked out throatily to his big brother who stood above him. For a few moments there was no reply. Itachi's emotionless face was shrouded by the shadows of the night and the katana in his left hand was stained red. The silence could've almost been peaceful- the deathly quiet air was saturated with the tang of blood and you could almost feel the presence of eternal sleep as the Uchiha clans souls departed silently from the compound, like shadows fleeing from the sun._

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_Sasuke watched the crimson liquid trickling down the silvery blade and falling to the floor. His parents blood._

"_**To test my capacity…"**_

**/////End Flashback//////**

Naruto's eyes shot open as he gasped desperately for air, his fingers clawing his bedroom floor in panic. The fear… The anguish… He had felt it all, it was like he had stepped into little Sasuke's shoes for one terrible moment in time. Every thought that crossed his mind, every feeling that stabbed at the ravens heart, Naruto had experienced them all. And it terrified him.

Sasuke was silent in Naruto's mind, letting the familiar feelings of despair wash over his soul without really registering them. His hardened heart was used to the pain by now. Slowly but surely the emotions in Naruto's body stilled and disappeared until Sasuke could only feel 2: Relief and happiness.

"I take it this means you believe me now." Sasuke stated dryly, the sudden voice in Naruto's head making the other boy jump.

"S… Sasuke?" the other teen questioned warily.

"_Finally._"

"But… This is impossible." the blond muttered. "You're _dead_. I saw your body… I was THERE at the _funeral _Sasuke, how are you… _Why _are you still here?!"

"I've been sent back." the raven replied calmly. "Because _He _does not want you to commit suicide at age 18." Naruto swayed and sank down onto the bed.

"You… You patronising bastard." he whispered, threading his fingers through his scruffy golden spikes as he absorbed the shock, silently adding _"I missed you." _in his confused mind.

"I know." Sasuke replied. Naruto looked up at the marble- like image of his best friend.

"You know what? I didn't say anything,"

"You thought it though." Sasuke replied smugly, watching in satisfaction as Naruto's baby blue eyes widened.

"Y-you've been listening to my thoughts! YOU TEME!"

"Duh, how else could I get you to feel my memories and hear my thoughts _dobe_? I had to go into your mind." That was the straw that broke the camels back. Naruto stood up, positively furious at the other boys nerve, and stalked over to Sasuke's form in the glass, yelling at the image at the top of his lungs.

"Shut the fuck up you bastard, just because you're dead and I can't kill you, you think you can say whatever the hell you like to m-!"

"Stop yelling already will you?" Sasuke asked, though it sounded more like a weary command. Naruto growled deep in his throat, rendered temporarily silent through controlled rage. "You know you can just communicate to me in your thoughts moron, it would make you sound a lot less crazy than screaming at a dumb image of me." Naruto winced visibly. The raven had always had a dangerous way with words. Calming himself down (with an amazing show of self control) he tentatively whispered into his mind, hoping that the Uchiha's spirit would hear him.

"Sasuke… How did you die?" (1)

A/N:

(1) I'm surprised no one's asked me that yet to be honest. You just all accepted he was dead lol XD

And do you wanna know a secret? even I haven't made my mind up how he died yet :O

But it doesn't really matter all that much seeing as the storyline is about Naruto and Sasuke overcoming the problems of being separated in such a way, but hey- give me a suitable way how he died in a review :D


	11. Spirits V Ghosts

A/N: This is bad… I'm going through a phase of writing my chars OOC. I hope this one is bearable guys ^-^' And yay! It's a dialogue scene :D

Sasuke's form slowly faded from the glass mirror, gaining translucency until all that could be seen in the glass was the reflection of Naruto's bedroom.

"S-Sasuke! Don't go!"

"I'm still here ursuratonkachi." Sasuke stated amusedly inside the blonds head, smirking inwardly as a thousand curses were directed at him. "Hey-keep the temper down will you? I'm here to help you- so play nice."

"Like I want _your _help teme! And do you have to scare me like that?! I thought you'd run off back to wherever the hell you came from just to get my hopes up and piss me off!"

"Purgatory."

"What?"

"'_Wherever the hell I came from'_- That's where I was. I was in purgatory."

"Heh, so Heaven and Hell both closed their doors to you eh? The great Sasuke Uchiha- unwanted."

"Fuck off."

"Aw did I touch a nerve Sasu-chan?"

"You know technically I can just take over your body and kill you right now." it was a lie of course, or at least- Sasuke thought it was a lie, but it did the job. Naruto was-temporarily- silenced.

"Arrogant bastard…"the blond muttered under his breath "And… HEY!" he added suddenly, springing to his feet in realisation making Sasuke's soul jump at the sudden outburst.

"WHAT?!" Sasuke yelled back.

"You didn't answer my question!"

"Question?"

"Don't play dumb Sasuke- that's my job. I asked you how you died, and then you distracted me by scaring the life outta me by doing that little disappearing trick in the mirror! Bastard…"

"Well, maybe I don't feel like telling you!" the raven retorted.

"Why? Are you a-(I believe this was the term you used)- _coward_?" A deathly silence fell upon the 2 souls minds in anticipation. Naruto had played the card. Pushed the button. The 'Uchiha pride' button.

"I am an Uchiha." Sasuke haughtily (and predictably) replied, clearly nettled by Naruto's remark. "We are not afraid of anything."

"Then tell me how you died- Oh so great and mighty Uchiha bastard." the blond challenged smugly, revelling in Sasuke's inner fury.

"So… You're you telling me- Lady Tsunade, the greatest medical ninja of all time couldn't diagnose my cause of death?"

"Oh we found the _medical_ reason behind the cause of death all right." Naruto muttered grimly, shuddering as the images of the post mortem came back to him. Sasuke… Lying motionless on a cold slab, entrails hanging out of him, and dripping blood onto the polished hospital floor… To this day, the blond still didn't know what had possessed him to attend the post mortem examination… Naruto swallowed down the bile in his throat and continued hoarsely: "There were muscle tears all over your body, resulting in paralysis, your chakra vessels were ruptured, and your nerve endings and circulatory systems were severed, causing massive internal bleeding." He stopped at this point to see if this was getting any emotional reaction from Sasuke, but found nothing. Impassive as usual. "Tsunade baa-chan thought the damage was done by a jutsu of some sort, and that's what caused your death, but the post mortem was inconclusive. We never found out what jutsu actually killed you."

"Had she examined my eyes, she may have had more luck." Sasuke stated disdainfully.

"W-what?"

"The Mangekyou Sharingan. I assume you've heard of it?"

"What about it?"

"That's why I died." Sasuke replied with exasperation, wondering (not for the first time) how many brain cells Naruto actually DID possess.

"But that's an Uchiha technique!" the younger teen cried to the raven in his mind. "Why would that kill _you_?"

"My brother…" The title that slipped from Sasuke's thoughts was little more than a ghostly whisper. "The injuries he gave me in that fight were practically fatal."

"_Sasuke…"_ The raven gathered his courage and continued speaking, his inner voice more confident and less shaky then before.

"I defeated him, but in gaining the mangekyou I was in turn killed. The stress involved in attaining such a powerful dojutsu was too great, and my damaged and tired body couldn't take the transition."

"The stronger the jutsu the greater the risk to the user." Naruto murmured. "I understand."

There was absolute quiet between the 2 souls, each absorbed in their own musings and neither felt it necessary to intrude into the others private moment. The steady ticking of the clock could be heard in the background. "So you're a ghost now." Naruto stated but was taken aback by the chill of revulsion that began to spread through him.

"No!" Sasuke spat. "I am an "unquiet spirit."_ Ghosts-" _he couldn't hide the mixture of disgust and pity in his inner voice_ "_are an entirely different matter."

"So what's the difference?" Naruto enquired, curious to learn more about this whole new world that no human had ever known before.

"Ghosts…" Sasuke began his voice painfully quiet, "Are spirits that have been forcibly trapped in this world, either by their own selfish desires that plagued them in life, or by the will of another. They are held back by the chains that tie them to their desire, and must walk the earth for eternity, until they find a way to free themselves."

"Are there many?" Naruto asked quietly after absorbing the depressing information, faintly disconcerted at the idea of being trapped on Earth forevermore when he died.

"Millions." Sasuke replied sadly. "Everywhere you go you'll find them. They walk beside you on the streets, but no living person can see them, you only see the results of their power."

"Power?"

"Much like an unquiet spirit, 'ghosts' have traditional poltergeist abilities, for example have you ever had it when you walk past a high pile of unstable goods in the supermarket, even though you don't touch it, the whole lot comes falling down?" Naruto nodded.

"That's the work of a ghost." Sasuke explained. "They create as much mayhem as possible because they're so desperate to get attention from people. It's their only hope of escaping their un-living hell. Their abilities are very strong, stronger than an ordinary spirit because their anger and frustration of being trapped drives them to madness, and an insane ghost is a strong one."

"You must be like the freaking hulk then, Sasuke-teme."

"I am no ghost." the raven protested, sending a stabbing sensation of annoyance into Naruto's mind. "I'm… a relatively peaceful spirit."

"Relatively?"

"Like…" Sasuke paused, still uncomfortable with saying the word. "'_Ghosts'_, unquiet spirits are sent back to earth when they die, but they are not trapped there. Spirits are people whose souls did not make the grade for heaven or hell and in order to get to heaven, we have to help people on earth to repay our sins."

"And… You're here- to help _me_?" Naruto clarified. "With what?"

"Don't laugh." Sasuke warned, dreading the final revelation of his purpose to the blond.

"Promise" Naruto smirked, crossing his fingers behind his back.

"I _am _here you know Ursuratonkachi- I can _see _your damn fingers are crossed."

"Oops…" Naruto stated grinning sheepishly, his hand scratching the back of his head in his nervous habit.

"I'm helping you…" (Sasuke paused here for dramatic effect) "To find your soul mate."

It started off quietly. A quiet-but-strained sniggering, that swelled and grew to a tidal wave of laughter that erupted from the blond's mouth. Before Sasuke knew it, Naruto was rolling around on the floor, breathless and dizzy from exertion.

"You're telling me-" he wheezed, in between laughs "The Ice Prince _himself _is supposed to teach _me_ about _love_?! Fucking hell that's priceless…"

"I was human… Once." Sasuke protested "Emotions aren't so far beyond me you know."

"Yeah, they scared you so much you had to kill them all off, remember?"

"Do I detect bitterness in that statement Naruto?"

"Do I detect sarcasm in yours bastard?" Naruto quipped, glaring around the room.

"I'm behind you dobe." came a wearisome voice. The blond pivoted slowly on the spot

"Tell me when…" he instructed to the raven.

"Now." Sasuke replied just when Naruto had gone past the 180 degree point so he was directly facing Sasuke's soul.

"Good. Now I know where I'm meant to be directing my anger to."

"Che, my telepathic field encapsulates the whole of this room. I could hear you perfectly well before."

"Stop being a smartass, and tell me more about this mission of yours."

"Well- I've already gone through a number of suitable candidates that haven't made the cut." Sasuke stated slowly, praying Naruto wouldn't overreact. The blond could sense Sasuke's apprehension, and immediately became suspicious.

"Such as?"

"Hinata, Tenten and Sakura." Sasuke told him airily, crossing them off in his mind, hoping if he kept his tone light Naruto wouldn't take it _too_ badly. "Ino… Sai and Gaara."

"B-but-" Naruto spluttered indignantly "There were GUYS in that list!" Sasuke's heart sank- so much for him not overreacting.

"And?"

"T-teme- you set me up with _guys! _Do you know how shameful that is?!"

"Do you have a problem with a man having feelings for another man then?" Sasuke asked, his voice holding a sharp edge.

"I-_no_- but come on Sasuke- this is me and…" Naruto's face deadpanned as realisation caught up with him. "_Gaara_? Did you say _**Gaara**_**?!" **

"Did you REALLY think that kiss was an accident?"

"SASUKE!" Naruto bellowed at the top of his voice, his anger making him forget to communicate telepathically. It promised a very painful eternity for the raven. This time Sasuke had the common sense to stay quiet as Naruto continued ranting. "And what do you mean- Sakura '_didn't make the cut'_?! She's is so obviously made for me! We go way back-"

"So do me and you, but you don't feel the need to profess your love to _me_ every minute of the day dobe. It's like you need to reaffirm your affection towards her."

"T-teme! I love Sakura chan!"

"You're not soul mates." Sasuke declared, finality in his tone. "Deal with it."

"Well- who cares if I don't find my soul mate?!" Naruto cried "As long as we can make each other happy, then who cares if we're not-" Naruto was cut off as every one of his senses was assaulted by a rage so intense the blond thought he would surely die. His skin was on fire, there was a red mist in front of his eyes and Kyuubi howled a blood curdling scream in the depths of his mind.

"Listen. To. Me." Sasuke ordered, voice silky and commanding. Snakelike even. "You are going to stop being selfish Naruto, we are going to complete this mission, find your soul mate, and then I'm going to heaven. That's how it's going to go. No arguments."

"Hypocritical bastard." Naruto repeated weakly, having fallen to his knees with the sensation. "And you call _me_ selfish…"

"On the contrary." the raven replied smugly "When we find your soul mate, you wont have to settle for second best anymore. You get the love you've been searching for, for so long, and I go to heaven. Everybody wins." Naruto looked up to the empty room, imagining his friends impassive face staring calmly at him. Could it be possible? Sasuke- considering him?

"You'll… Leave then. When this mission is over?" Naruto asked quietly in his thoughts. It sounded subdued, a tone Naruto only used when he was REALLY serious.

"That's the plan." Sasuke replied simply, refusing to sugar coat his words.

"For good?"

"For good."

Naruto swallowed and looked down, making his way slowly over to the bed and settling down upon it, curling up to one side facing the wall. The raven stepped through the solid object and turned round to face the blond again. The sapphire eyes saw right through him.

"Naruto?"

"Then I've failed." the blond stated miserably catching Sasuke off guard.

"What?"

"My own mission…. I've failed. When you told me you were still here on Earth as a spirit I was happy… I thought- 'Yes, this is fate giving me a second chance at saving you…' But…" Naruto swallowed again. "You really don't want to be saved do you?" A new kind of melancholy settled in the blonds heart and he knew instinctively that Sasuke's spirit was sighing.

"All I want is peace Naruto."

"You want death." the blond mumbled into his pillow, forgetting to speak in his mind again. "You choose death over life, even now."

"I have no choice." Sasuke mumbled "Failure to complete a mission results in relegation to Hell." Naruto smirked softly

"I bet you're not all that keen to see old Orochimaru again anytime soon."

"Hell no." Sasuke agreed, letting his spirit settle down beside Naruto's form on the bed.

"Sasuke- where are you?"

"Beside you." the raven replied quietly. Tentatively Naruto reached out a hand, experimentally stroking the air in front of his face, searching. Always searching.

"Feel anything teme?"

"No."

The raven sounded so despondent Naruto's heart went out to him, resulting in a sudden rush of empathy being transferred into the spirits soul. Sasuke felt slightly ill.

"Stop pitying me Naruto."

"It's not pity-"

"No seriously Naruto stop- it feels horrible." The empathy quickly dissipated into annoyance. An emotion Sasuke could easily handle.

"Well fine then, you ungrateful bastard." Naruto complained, rolling over once more to face the wall in a childish fit of temper. The only saving grace in the situation was when the pleasing emotions he usually felt of a night time began to wash over him once more. Naruto smiled- knowing what they were now; Sasuke's way of apologising.

"It's O.K. " he told the raven quietly.

'_Even if he say's he's not going to stay… Even if he swears on all things holy he's gonna complete his mission, I'll find a way to stop him. I've lost him too many times to loose him again._"

The blond was fully aware Sasuke was probably catching every word. Well, let him listen.

"_Can you hear me Sasuke? Can you hear how much I need this?"_

But for now… Just having the raven with him, having their hearts connected in such a strange way, for now- this was enough.

"Sasuke…" Naruto murmured in his mind, his eyelids drooping from fatigue.

"Hm?"

"What's it like? Being a spirit?"

The silence was deafening as he awaited the raven's answer.

"_Empty."_

A/N. The ghost thing is relevant. It makes for a good blackmail device ;)


	12. Truth

A/N: LOVE ME LOVE ME, SAY THAT YA LOVE ME! I WRITE SO FAST AND… *silence* I'll shut up now. It's longer though XD

"Yatta! So- which girl are you hooking me up with next then teme?" the blond ball of energy asked excitedly, bouncing up and down on his mattress like a 4 year old. Naruto had hoped- if he gave the illusion he was helping Sasuke with his "mission" it would be easier to sabotage, and so far it looked like it was working. It had been 1 week since Sasuke had begun collaborating with the blond, but so far they had had no luck whatsoever in finding his soul mate, much to Naruto's delight. Besides, whenever Sasuke DID arrange a suitable candidate for him, on their date, Naruto would usually totally ignore the girl and start chatting aimlessly with Sasuke in his head, despite the ravens constant reminders not to neglect his companion.

"That's the whole point of revealing myself to you idiot, you're meant to help me choose!"

"Well-" Naruto stated, grinning like pervy sage, "I like em curvy, petite, green eyed, pink haired-"

"Naruto." Sasuke growled warningly

"Hey- it could be anybody!" the blond protested, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

"Well, seeing as you're not going to take any of this seriously" Sasuke snarled in the other teens mind, "I may as well go walking the streets and find you some random hooker to date! AGAIN!"

"W-wait! Sasuke!" he yelled angrily, calling out for the spirit. Thankfully he hadn't left the room. Yet.

"What?" the raven demanded, sending a death-wave into Naruto's mind, and making the blond wince.

"Sorry." he muttered grudgingly, stuffing his hands into his pockets, clearly in a bad mood. "I promise I'll take it seriously."

"Better." Sasuke reprimanded, coming back towards the bed and smirking inwardly as Naruto muttered something under his breath about 'know- it- all bastards'. "Well- seeing as you have no names in mind- give me a general profile for your soul mate-" but before Naruto could open his mouth and spew some more perverted nonsense, Sasuke cut him off- "A _personality_ profile. I can't go on good looks and my own judgement alone anymore. "

"Oh." Naruto stated looking vaguely put out. "Well, I suppose she'd have to be strong. I couldn't have a wimp for a soul mate- that would just be a pathetic relationship." In his mind, Sasuke was committing every word that came out of the blond's mouth to memory. By observing a few victims- ahem, sorry, _targets, _in the village and comparing them to Naruto's profile, he'd be able to narrow down the list of suitable candidates to be his soul mate. After all- only Naruto knew his own type. "And she'd have to understand me." The blond continued "Not just some kind words and empathetic crap- I mean really _get _me, deep down in her heart ya know? And well… I guess there's something sorta kinky about having an intelligent woman." he finished sheepishly "I'd like to have someone who could make decisions."

"Make decisions _for you_, you mean, because you're too stupid to do it yourself."

"Fuck you."

"Is that an invitation?"

"Bastard." Naruto hissed to the raven's soul in his mind, before flopping down on the bed, feigning exhaustion. "Finished psycho-analyzing me yet?"

"Yes… But there is one more thing." Sasuke began cautiously.

"What?"

"I've said it before… But you didn't take it seriously then…"What about guys?"

"What about them?" Naruto asked tiredly, turning over to squash his face into his pillow, trying to escape the hassle of answering Sasuke's question. The raven's patience snapped.

"You know full well what I'm talking about!" he snarled "There's a possibility your soul mate is a male, so stop running away from it and _face facts _like your-_oh-so-precious _Hokage would!"

The silence in the aftermath of the outburst rang like a thousand bells in Naruto's head, and Sasuke knew instinctively he had gone one step too far.

"I trust your judgement." came the low statement, catching Sasuke off guard yet again.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said I trust you, bastard." Naruto repeated a poisonous concoction of irritation and sarcasm concealed in every word. "If you think you know what's best for me, by all means, be my guest and set me up with some wussy, camp-ish, uke-y girly guy and when he's in hospital with a thousand broken bones from trying to molest me, _then_ you might _finally _realise the truth: I AM NOT GAY!"

At this point, Sasuke promptly scooped up all his sensible emotions: Caution, sanity and good judgement, and threw them out the window.

"I only said it because when you stated that personality profile-" he started in a venomous tone.

"_Yes_?"

"You sounded like you were describing me." The raven stated flatly, wearily anticipating the inevitable argument. Naruto wore a look of shock and indignation.

"S-Sasuke! Don't say stupid things like that!"

"It's not being stupid. I'm simply making a point that those qualities you're looking for aren't JUST available in one gender dobe!"

"Argh! You're so fucking frustrating!" Naruto yelled at the wall opposite, pounding his mattress repeatedly with one fist.

"I'm _smart _ursuratonkachiand _you_ are stupid, not to mention prejudiced!"

"I am not prejudiced! I've had gay friends before! Haku, Zabuza, Sai, hell- even you!"

"Me?" Sasuke asked, his voice even but quietly dangerous.

"Yes you! You changed your clothes so fuckin' much it was pretty damn obvious!"

"I. Am. Leaving." Sasuke growled, trying to keep his temper down so as not to give Naruto the worst migraine of his life, 'Although' Sasuke reasoned, 'He probably does deserve it.'

"TEME! I heard that!"

"Good for you!" The raven retorted hurtling full speed through Naruto's wall and out onto the busy streets of Konoha, with only one thought running through his mind

'_Shit.'_

'_Shit.'_

'_**Shit!**__'_

'_He knows.'_

'_Since __**when**__, did he know?!'_

'_No, wait- he __**doesn't**__ know. Not everything at least, thank God.'_

'_But will he work it out?'_

'_No- it's Naruto, he couldn't even tell when __**Hinata**__ had her eyes on him, there's no way I would've been detected… Calm down Sasuke.'_

"Oh so you FINALLY admit it Otouto?" If Sasuke had blood vessels in his brain he would be having a stroke by now, not to mention a heart attack from all the times Itachi had interrupted his inner conversations unannounced and scared the shit out of him.

"Not. Fucking. Now. Itachi!"

"No can do Sasuke-chan." Itachi cajoled in a singsong voice. "As your older brother, it's my duty to help you though the difficulties of being gay in a nasty, closed minded afterlife."

"2 things. A: Liking ONE boy doesn't make me gay. B: Get the fuck out of my head before I throw you out."

"Fine." Itachi muttered, obviously faking hurt. "Be that way- I just thought I should let you know there's a _very_ interesting conversation going on in Yamanaka's flower store that you might wanna eavesdrop on."

"Because I'm _so_ interested in the pointless ramblings of the female species." Sasuke replied scathingly. "Now get out!"

"My wisdom is clearly wasted here." Itachi sniffed, sending a beam of irritation into Sasuke's soul which the raven easily shrugged off. "I just thought a flower store may be the ideal place to find your next target. Women love flowers right?"

"OUT!" Sasuke yelled finally, imagining he could grab his brother by his neck and hurl him into the depths of Hell itself. Thankfully, Sasuke found that once he had finished his fantasising, the elder Uchiha was no where in earshot. Inwardly sighing with relief, he floated aimlessly through the streets, taking not a blind bit of notice of the sights or sounds around him, still too preoccupied with his conversation with the dobe.

"Why does he always find a way to aggravate me?" the raven thought, desperately wishing there was a nice, solid brick wall in the afterlife that he could bang his head on for eternity. To his surprise, when he finally took note of his surroundings, he found himself outside Yamanaka's flower store. Itachi had probably found a way to lead him there subconsciously…. Conniving bastard.

'An _interesting conversation_?'

Curiosity got the better of Sasuke, and he grudgingly made his way through the door of the shop, (he _could've_ gone through a wall, but old habits die hard), knowing that Itachi would be unbearable in his gloating once he had got back to the afterlife. Once inside the unfamiliar, colourful room, Sasuke's attention immediately focussed on 2 figures; Sakura, who was leaning against the counter at the front of the store and Ino on the till. The blond was busy wrapping up a large bouquet of pink roses and white lilies, her skilled hands making short work of the white wrapping paper.

Death flowers and love flowers. What a strange combination.

"I never knew you had those sort of feelings for that idiot." Ino smirked, busy with a pair of scissors and not once looking up at the pinkette. If she did, she would've seen the blush on Sakura's face.

"It's not like that Ino… I'm just… Worried about him."

"Why?" Ino asked bemusedly "He's a lot better than when Sasuke…" She stopped and placed a hand on her chest respectfully.

'Over-dramatic woman.' the raven thought idly, lounging by a vase of rather obscene orange and purple flowers, totally absorbed in the conversation.

"Well… You know…" she finished quietly, lowering her gaze. The 2 women were silent, mourning the loss of their joint crush.

"I went round Naruto's apartment not so long ago." Sakura murmured, changing the subject. "It was a mess."

"So? He's a slob, what's new?"

"No!" She protested "I mean- there were broken objects everywhere, his wallpaper was torn and there was a huge leak coming through from the bathroom. It was practically derelict…. It's as if he's stopped caring about himself!" her voice got more and more high pitched and desperate, until by the end she had broken down in sobs in Ino's arms "I-I want to h-help him- but I have n-no idea what to d-do Ino!" she wailed, clinging to the material of her best friends/rivals shirt. Ino awkwardly patted the pinkette on the back, her piercing cold blue eyes thoughtful, whilst she absentmindedly massaged small circles between Sakura's shoulder blades.

"Sakura…" she said gently "Dry your eyes and sit down, I'll close the shop and make you some green herbal tea. The girl looked up, wiping away her tears, feeling slightly embarrassed, and pulled herself together.

"Thank you Ino…"

5 minutes later, with the sign on the shop door reading "closed" and Sakura seated with a steaming cup of tea between her quivering hands, Ino began to speak.

"I know this may not be the thing you want to hear right now forehead, but I have an idea…"

"What is it?" the pinkette asked curiously, sipping elegantly from the china cup.

"Well, you know Sasuke's death hit Naruto hard right?" Ino probed, choosing her words carefully. Sakura nodded.

"Yeah- he took it worse out of all of us… Understandable I suppose…"

"He was quite… Obsessed with Sasuke-kun… Yes?"

"Well yeah, he made a promise to me to bring him back." Sakura stated, staring at the blond girl, as if it was a worldwide known fact. "Naruto lives to fulfil his promises, you know that."

"You think that promise was just for you, or for himself?" Ino asked shrewdly, her blue eyes gazing intently at Sakura, trying to gage her reaction.

"What are you getting at Ino?!" the pinkette demanded, slamming down her hand on the counter and making a crack appear in the work surface. Ino gulped, knowing she would surely get a severe talking to from her father if the shop property got damaged.

"All I'm saying is that… It would've made a lot of sense, if Naruto had a… Ya know- _thing-_ for Sasuke kun." Sakura rose shakily from her seat by the counter and stepped back slightly.

"I'm sorry?"

"Think about it forehead, you've said it yourself- he _lived _for that guy right? Well- when you concentrate on someone for so long that it develops into obsession, surely it would make sense for you to also develop f-"

"Ino!" Sakura interrupted warningly before the girl could say the 'F' word.

"But Sakura-!" Ino protested, getting to her feet "You have to admit it- there was always this… Energy about them right? I've thought about it for a long time, and whenever they were together, they just became… Themselves. They bought out the best in each other… I can't explain it Sakura, and I can't even _begin _to understand it, but there was this _thing _about them, something good. You was on their team, surely you must've seen it too?!" The pinkette looked down at her feet, realisingthe implication of Ino's words.

"You think… They were in love." she declared, regarding the blond through teary green eyes. Was her rival right? Had she really lost her 2 most precious people to each other?

"Yes." Ino confirmed, even though it wasn't a question. Sakura's heart sank as she picked up the flowers on the counter, examining the petals, the stalks, and the thorns…

'_Then, if what Ino say's is true… Naruto has nothing. He really, doesn't care…If he lives or dies…'_

"Hey be careful- they're sharp!" Ino warned when Sakura experimentally touched a thorn and it drew blood. She looked at the droplet of crimson like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

_//When a person has something precious to protect that is when they truly become strong. If someone acknowledged you from the bottom of their heart- wouldn't they become your most precious person?.//_

"You're right Ino…" she whispered. "I can't believe… I've been so stupid!" she grabbed a card from the counter, scribbling hastily on the back with a nearby pen and tucking it inside the bouquet before running off, the tinkling of the bell waking Sasuke from his stupor. Of shock.

"_They think he loves me?"_

"_**Me?"**_

"_Loves… Me?"_

"_Not Sakura?"_

"Snap out of it dammit!" Sasuke growled to himself, "Someone, or something, is clearly wrong here! Either Naruto is lying to me, or Ino is mistaken."

"What if she _is_ mistaken?"

"What if she's not?!"

Either way, Sasuke knew there was just no way God would make a dead soul the soul mate of a living soul, that would just be stupid. So really- it didn't matter if Naruto did, or didn't have a '_thing'_ for him. It was irrelevant. Still, despite his reasoning, there was still something nagging at the back of the raven's brain. The way Ino had described their relationship…

"_There was always this… Energy about them"_

"_This __**thing**__…"_

"_Something good."_

It sounded suspiciously like…

"It's obviously impossible" Sasuke dismissed "but I suppose, it couldn't hurt just to be sure right?"

He had no idea exactly HOW to be sure but he was willing to try just about anything to get his white wings.

"Let's see if Naruto is as straight as he claims to be…"

A/N: And all of a sudden, I cranked the sasunarusasu up a notch.

Bet that shocked you XD Also- I definitely have a morbid thing recently about hell, heaven, death and vampires because yesterday I saw "Drag Me To Hell." GO AND WATCH IT NOW! I command you! It's a real heart racer, I had to hold my friends hand… *wimp and she knows it* Anyway review peeps :D Love you all this could be your last update for the next week-le gasp- I go back to school on Monday. T_T And then I have exams, but I usually write more then to escape from stress. XD


	13. Goose Chase

A/n: *cradles head*

"Teme?"

"Hn?"

"Any idea what those flowers are about?" Sasuke regarded the magenta lilies and roses on the side of the bed with disdain, he didn't hate all pretty things- just the colour pink.

"No idea dobe." The lie slipped quickly from his lips, sweeter and stickier than honey. It made him feel quite sick. Naruto grunted in annoyance and read through the card again, frowning with every letter.

"I found them on my way back from Ichiraku's, just lying on my doorstep- and there's no name attached. Are you _sure _you didn't see anyone Sasuke?"

'_He's getting better at detecting my thought patterns… Maybe he could tell I was lying…"_ the raven thought uneasily, trying his best to conceal it away from the dobe's inquisitive nature.

"Do I need to repeat myself ursuratonkachi?" he quipped, sending a playful tickle of annoyance into Naruto's head and making him squirm uncomfortably.

"Hey- stop it, it tickles!" Suddenly, Naruto felt a happy rush of endorphins- and he knew Sasuke was laughing at his pain. "B-bastard, stop dammit!" he wheezed, rolling onto the bed, his body spasming with both laughter and pain.

'Too easy.' Sasuke smirked. 'Manipulate the neurones in the brain that control touch and there you have it- the perfect torture device for idiot blondes.'

"I hate you…" Naruto said breathlessly, panting into the soft cotton material, drool hanging from his mouth, as the tickles subsided.

"We'll see about that." Sasuke thought grimly, silencing the thought expertly so Naruto wouldn't ask awkward questions.

"So what's the card say?" he asked casually, hoping not to sound too interested.

"it's over there." Naruto replied, recovering from Sasuke's attack. His finger pointed to the partially crushed bedside cabinet. Sasuke examined the untidy scrawl, deep in thought, knowing he could not reveal to Naruto that the love flowers were from his beloved 'Sakura-chan'.

DEAR NARUTO

I'M SORRY FOR NOT SEEING THE TRUTH EARLIER.

BUT PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP.

I'M HERE FOR YOU ALWAYS

X

"I haven't got a clue what this person's on about." the blond said, talking to the ceiling, absentmindedly counting the number of cracks in the plaster. He got to number 43 before Sasuke interrupted him

"It's probably nothing. Just a well wisher. Ignore them and concentrate on the important stuff."

"Maybe…" Naruto replied, obviously unconvinced. "Did you find me a new girl?"

"No."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched in dread, remembering their fight earlier "…Boy then?"

"No. There was no one around that matched your preferences." Sasuke stated wearily, realising he would have to put his plan into action soon. "You look tired Naruto." another lie. "Maybe you should lie down?" Immediately suspicious, the blond bolted upright and glared around the room.

"Why are you being nice?" he enquired, baby blue eyes narrowed. "The Sasuke I know would never be so considerate, unless it was for his own benefit." The raven prayed his erratic emotions wouldn't give his true motives away. His prayers were denied.  
"You're planning something aren't you?" the blond stated shrewdly.

"Even if I was, it doesn't concern you."

"Che, whatever." Naruto grumbled, throwing himself back down onto the pillows and altogether ignoring Sasuke's questionable response.

'_That's weird…'_

"Naruto-"

"Hm?"

"Aren't you meant to be arguing with me right about now?"

"Am I?" Once again Sasuke was thrown by Naruto's answer- Kakashi was right when he said Naruto was the most unpredictable ninja in Konoha.

"I-er-"

"Teme- shut up already, I'm going to sleep."

'_He's taking my advice?' _Sasuke asked himself in disbelief.

"No bastard, I'm not 'taking _your _advice', I'm taking my body's advice. I'm exhausted- Tenten dragged me round for 3 hours, shopping for decent shuriken and kunai holsters."

"Hn." was Sasuke's classic reply, watching in silent appreciation as the blond stripped down to his underwear, drew the curtains and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to his chin.

"Night bastard."

"Have fun, Naruto."

"Oh and Sasuke-" Naruto added sleepily, but still managing to maintain the smirk on his face. "You're not the only one who can make plans."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3 hours later and the sun had just dipped below the horizon outside Naruto's window, the warm orange glow fading to a cold looking purple.

'Time to see how you really feel'

Naruto was snoring softly, long since in REM sleep and therefore virtually unwakeable and safe to approach. As usual, Sasuke's spirit was keeping the others company, except this time he was not going to simply make Naruto comfortable. He was going to experiment.

'_So first of all- let's try and take away the comfort blanket of emotions and see if he notices.' _To Sasuke's surprise as soon as he tried to detangle his emotions from Naruto's soul, he felt the blonds outer mental barriers slam down, like a steel shutter.

"_It__'__s amazing, that just my emotions can evoke such a strong mental response__…"_

"_He obviously depends on me to make him feel content."_

"_I wonder what would happen if I gave him __**more **__than just a couple of feel-good emotions?__"_

"_What would he react like?__"_

Experimentally he conjured up a good memory and let the happy feelings wash over the other teen, and watched in fascination when the blond smiled, his hands scrunching up the blankets. So Sasuke did it again, and again, making the other boy smile and murmur into the softness of his pillow, until there were no more "happy" memories left to fuel the mental stimulation. So Sasuke moved onto the next emotion- amusement. This got much the same reaction as the first, and it wasn't until the raven went a bit deeper into his memories that Naruto REALLY started reacting. He hadn't chosen any particular emotion this time, he just chose a memory he remembered felt good for him when it had occurred. He decided on when Haku had seriously injured him and he was lying in Naruto's arms, and felt a warm sensation seep into his soul, remembering the warm hug…. This time, when Sasuke placed the emotional comfort blanket over the blonds mind, he got a shiver. A smile, and a shiver.

"_Bingo__…"_

So he did it again. Other memories that provoked the same sort of feelings in Sasuke's soul were transferred to Naruto's mind, and as the feelings became stronger, so did Naruto's reactions. Sasuke was fascinated by every little sound and movement his best friend made, and knowing that it was he, himself, who was making Naruto behave like it. It gave Sasuke an awesome sense of power. The blond was thrashing around now, and the covers of the bed were crumpled but he didn't seem to be in pain, and meanwhile Sasuke's conscious was working overtime, trying to sustain the mental thrill that they were both experiencing. By the time Naruto's active mind had realised what was happening it was too late. He was already on the pinnacle of ecstasy and about to go over, his, now open, blue eyes were glazed and his breaths coming in pants, with nothing but the emotions of his best friend spurring him on. And just as the feelings became too strong to sustain, "_**it**__**"**_ happened.

Sasuke felt the sensation he had been searching for, for his whole mission. The connection. The spark. The feeling of 2 souls becoming one. Sasuke's inner self screamed in long awaited pleasure, or perhaps emotional pain, as their energies were fused together, creating an everlasting scar across the void between their minds. A new bridge, that they could now cross freely in both directions; an immortal covenant between spirit and boy. But perhaps most surprisingly of all, it had not occurred through physical touch as Sasuke had originally anticipated, but by the joining of their very hearts and minds. Like a contract being signed, with each others signature being hastily scrawled across the others heart.

_Mine._

And just as "_it_" happened, both boys experienced the very same epiphany. Part memory, part fantasy.

_Both of them were back at the valley of the end, Sasuke__'__s face was inches above Naruto__'__s and slowly the gap began to close. Soft, cold lips were being pressed tenderly against a second, equally cold, chapped pair, as the rain fell around them in sheets of silver droplets, the harmonic quality of them hitting the ground, creating different notes that formed a hypnotising rhythm completing the scene. The perfect setting for a promise._

"_**One day**__**…**__** We will find ourselves. Together.**__**"**_

And then it ended. Just like a firework who's sparks have faded, Sasuke suddenly felt his spirit drained of all power, and he hung limply in the air, unable to move an inch. Only 1 thought ran through his mind:

"_It was me all along.__"_

Memories he had treated with indifference resurfaced in his mind mockingly, as he started to look at them in a whole knew light. Particularly those concerning his dear brother.

The constant interference in every aspect of Sasuke's mission.

Itachi's mocking tone when speaking of Sasuke's attachment to Naruto

The many ambiguous hints concerning Sasuke's or Naruto's sexuality, especially when he was briefed on his mission.

"_When __**you**__ arrive, you will be able to find Naruto's soul mate." (1)_

"_There__'__s every chance Naruto__'__s soul mate could, in fact, be a boy.__"_

Sasuke felt a weak sensation of anger settle in him, but he was too drained to care all that much.

"All this time, I've been sent on a wild fucking goose chase."

A/N: Like it?

(1)- as in- Sasuke would ONLY be able to find Naruto's soul mate once he arrived in Konoha. Because he WAS Naruto's soul mate all along.


	14. White Wings

A/N: 3 words: WRITERS BLOCK SUCKS! Please don't kill me. I'm very sorry, i don't think this chapter is up to scratch in terms of detail, but OOTA has hit a wall and i wanted to post SOMETHING before i went insane through guilt. Basically for a few weeks/months/years *shot* I had no motivation to put finger to keyboard, but goddammit i WILL finish this story! You deserve it as reviewers :) And a BIIIIIIIIG thank you to my beta- NonConformingAngel, you've been a great support ;) And of course, a thank you to all the reviewers so far. Now on with the show before you strangle me for monologuing XD

"Come out Naruto."

"NO!"

"Look - either you come out, or I come in."

"Just because you can walk through a locked door, doesn't mean you SHOULD, bastard!"

Sasuke sighed, but stayed on his own side of the bathroom door out of human decency. Once Naruto had woken from his little...dream, he had sprinted to the bathroom, and, in panic, had locked himself in, refusing to come out.

"You can't run away from what just happened you know." Sasuke murmured to the blond, trying unsuccessfully to lace his thoughts with a comforting feeling that would reassure him. It didn't work.

"I can try..."came the sulky reply, the stubborn response sounding muffled from beyond the wooden door. In reply, the raven let a spike of anger shoot through Naruto's mind and was rewarded by a satisfying yelp.

"Fail me now and we could all go to hell in a handcart. Open the door."

"Why should I?"

"Because we need to go to the afterlife and get this mess sorted out!"

Silence echoed.

"So, we're going to go to the afterlife, I'm gonna be reassigned a soul mate, and then you're going to get your white wings and leave." Naruto stated bitterly "You're not making a very good case for yourself Sasuke. I won't do it." The Uchiha sighed mentally, knowing that to convince the blond to do his bidding, Naruto needed a little encouragement.

"What are you so scared of?"

"Excuse me?" Naruto squeaked, peeking out through the keyhole of the bathroom door.

"Is it because you enjoyed it?" Sasuke asked, sending a smirk into the blond's soul. In reply, Naruto flung open the door in indignation and anger, and glared into the air beyond him, a blush evident.

"I did not!"

"Is that why you're blushing?"

"Teme!"

"Your answer to everything, as _usual_..."

"Look- I didn't enjoy it... You just caught me by surprise!"

"And let me guess- you were thinking of Sakura the whole time right?"

"Damn right!"

"Like hell." Sasuke spat back. "That vision was strong enough for all the spirits in the afterlife to take a sneak peek. You were thinking of making love to me Naruto- we're soul mates now- accept it."

"I- I-" For once, the blond was completely lost for words, simply unable to think of a case for his argument.

"Naruto..." The Uchiha's inner voice was softer this time "I know it's hard, but I need you to do this for me." The blond's ocean eyes deepened in colour until the inner iris appeared midnight blue- it was a sign Naruto had come to a decision.

"O.K."

"O.K.?" Sasuke echoed warily.

"I'm not doing it for you." Naruto muttered defensively, crossing his arms "And I'm not doing it because of what just happened either. For once- I'm doing something for myself." Inside his mind, the blond felt Sasuke's curiosity, and, dare he say it, bewilderment, but in true Uchiha style- he remained silent.

"Then hold tight..." the raven ordered gruffly.

"What are you going to do?"

"You, Naruto, are going astral travelling."

There was an uneasy pause, and when the blond next spoke, he sounded apprehensive.

"Correct me if I'm wrong Sasuke... But isn't that where your soul is ripped out of your body?"

"Correct."

"Oh. Joy!"

All it took was a single blink and Naruto's lifeless body crumpled to the floor.

"Damn that is ROUGH!" the jinchuuriki whined, massaging his head and mussing up his already wild golden spikes. Who knew axing your soul from your body could be so painful?

"Welcome to purgatory, baka." Naruto turned round, hearing the deep tone his best-friend-turned-unwanted lover's voice, and felt his heart stop. He could see Sasuke. Every inch of Sasuke. Those dark, dark eyes and alabaster skin glared at him across the expanse of endless darkness. There was no sky, no ground, just an endless inky sea of nothingness.

"Sasuke... You...This place..."

"Is Purgatory." The Uchiha finished, approaching Naruto. "I spent four years here." Naruto's eyes widened in horror.

"I'd go mad if I had to spend more than two minutes here!"

"I bet you would..." Sasuke muttered, looking upwards expectantly.

'_Hurry __**up**__Itachi! The one time I actually __**need**__ you here, and you're nowhere to be seen!'_

"So what happens now?"

"We wait for Itachi to sort this mess out." Naruto 'tsked' at Sasuke's response and crossed his arms.

"Still relying on your brother..." The young Uchiha's sensitive ghostly hearing picked up the comment, and he turned to frown at the blond disapprovingly.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, not at all..." Naruto stated airily, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm just slightly confused... We _are_talking about the same brother who you went all: 'Sasuke the Avenger' for, right?" Sasuke looked at Naruto coldly.

"Yes."

"The murderer of the Uchiha clan?" The raven haired spirit's mouth thinned into a line.

"_Yes."_ He ground out.

"What- and suddenly you're his partner in crime?" Naruto scathed, one eyebrow raised. "I don't get you Sasuke. You hated him so much in life- and yet now you're happy to be best friends?" The blond knew he was pushing the other boy to the limits of his patience, but he wasn't prepared to lose Sasuke a second time. Naruto would make his point, no matter what the consequences.

"You've said it yourself Naruto- this place is as bad as Hell, maybe even worse for all I know. Itachi has been punished enough, we both have. It was in both our interests to work together to get out of here...to an extent at least."

"So, you've just magically forgotten he killed the Uchiha clan?"

"Don't you dare-"

"Did he ever tell you why he left you alive, Sasuke? And I don't mean the: 'To test my capacity' bullshit."

The boy's patience snapped.

"Is this going somewhere?" Sasuke spat, squaring up to Naruto, feeling satisfied he still had a half-inch height advantage. The blond narrowed his blue eyes, leaned forward, and whispered huskily into the others ear.

"I could make you stay _Sa-su-ke_... I could tell you things you wouldn't _believe_..."

Before the young spirit could recover from the unnerving sound of having his name whispered so sultrily, he found his vision blocked by an older version of himself who was standing in front of him, one arm outstretched towards Naruto and sharingan eyes fixated on sapphires.

"Be quiet Naruto, or I'll use the mangekyou." Itachi ordered silkily. Sasuke started moving towards his brother, with the intention of subduing him, but only a single word made him freeze in his tracks.

"Stop." The tone was something Sasuke rarely heard his brother use. It was his: 'don't fuck with me if you want to live' voice, and the younger Uchiha automatically knew that something ugly was going to happen if they didn't obey Itachi's orders.

"I know what you're doing Naruto." Itachi stated emotionlessly, his sharingan still preventing Naruto from speaking. "You think that by feeding Sasuke a bunch of lies you'll be able to turn his emotions against him, turn him into a ghost and trap him with you on Earth." The blond would've ground his teeth together, but the paralysis stopped him from doing so. Itachi tilted his head. "Don't do something so stupid."

"Itachi-" came a quiet voice.

"Stay out of this Sasuke." The elder Uchiha replied evenly, still keeping his gaze firmly fixed on Naruto. "You don't need to hear this."

"Yes I do!" Sasuke protested. "He was talking about the Uchiha massacre- if he knows something; I have a right to hear!"

"And you will Sasuke, once I've sorted this baka out."

"I don't want you to: 'sort him out', I want to hear what he's got to say!" Itachi sighed and turned his head a few millimetres in the young spirit's direction.

"Sasuke... If you never trust me again, trust me now." He stated solemnly. "Whatever Naruto says about the Uchiha clan is a lie, and if you believe it, you will be trapped as a ghost forever. He's only doing it to stop you leaving; he's not going to give you any worthwhile information."

"No. Naruto wouldn't do that..." Sasuke protested stubbornly. "He's not selfish, he's not... like me."

"Sasuke- you're an Uchiha. You're smart. What's the one emotion Naruto will always act upon?"

"..." The raven looked down uncomfortably; feeling unease and a creeping sense of doubt steal upon him.

"That's right. Love." Naruto closed his eyes in embarrassment, not willing to watch Sasuke's reaction to what Itachi was about to say. The elder Uchiha gave the blond a pitying look. "What use is kindness, and selflessness, if it means you can't save the person you love most?" Raising his hand in a fluid motion, the jutsu was released, sending Naruto's spasming body sprawling in the opposite direction. Sasuke studied the helpless figure carefully, keeping his stoic mask tightly in place to suppress his surprise at hearing the 'L' word.

"Is that true Naruto? Were you going to lie to keep me here?"

"You're my best friend!" Naruto growled, shakily getting to his feet. "I didn't want you to leave, I wanted to stop you by any means necessary."

"And what were you going to say?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes. Itachi and Naruto shared a 'look', silently sending messages across to each other.

'_I've waited long enough for him Itachi.'_

"_But if you tell him the truth about the Uchiha massacre, about Konoha's involvement, you'll condemn him, not just for your lifetime... Forever. When you die, you'll leave him behind. And you'll never get him back"._

"Naruto!" Sasuke urged "What were you going to say?!" Naruto clenched his fists.  
"Itachi..." In Itachi's onyx eyes he saw fear. Fear, and pleading.

'_I ruined his life. Don't ruin his death Naruto.'_

"Itachi.... he...."

"What?!"

"He loved you!" Naruto yelled finally. Itachi closed his eyes in despair, knowing that as soon as Naruto revealed the truth about his orders as an Anbu Black Op and double agent, Sasuke would be consumed by revenge. He would be instantly reduced to a ghost. "He loved you." Naruto repeated, voice cracking. "Beyond his capacity to kill... He killed the whole of the Uchiha clan to test his strength, but when it came to you, Sasuke, he loved you too much. He let you go, not because he wanted you to test him, because he couldn't bear to kill you." Itachi opened his eyes. That was it? Naruto wasn't going to reveal all? He wasn't going to tell Sasuke that the Uchiha were killed on Konoha's orders? Itachi studied Naruto, mouth slightly open, feeling an age old emotion flood his soul- respect. The teen's fists were clenched and tears ran down his whiskered cheeks. His heart and soul was being torn apart by this choice. The most wonderful and terrible choice. To protect Sasuke's heart, Naruto was committing the most selfless act of all- he was sacrificing his own love.

'_Thank you Naruto..._' Itachi smiled. _'You did the right thing... Even though it means Sasuke will be with you only in death, you chose to do the right thing by him...'_

Sasuke, after recovering from the revelation, stared at Naruto in confusion. "That was it? You really think that's enough to turn me into a ghost? Becoming a ghost involves hatred, and passion. A desire to avenge or claim something you couldn't in life... That wasn't nearly enough.... Why are you crying?" Naruto said nothing. "You said you would tell me things couldn't believe, things that would make me stay... if that was it, you disappoint me."

"I won't tell you..." Naruto hissed under his breath, voice deathly quiet. "Because I love you."

Sasuke froze, his mask shattered.

"I won't tell you anything... Because I love you more than Itachi ever did." The raven swallowed, as Naruto wiped his eyes, anger, determination, and triumph shining through the veil of tears. "I love you as more of a brother than he ever did, Sasuke. More than a brother even." The Uchiha blinked, feeling a strange pull around his midriff as a mild feeling of sickness set in. "Now tell me you can just walk away from this life without feeling an inch of guilt." Itachi stepped back, mildly impressed by the blond's actions. This was something he had not foreseen. Instead of divulging the painful information that he had originally intended to reveal to Sasuke, Naruto had given him a truth that was equally as powerful, and even more destructive. It was a clever strategy that would play Sasuke's emotions and pull his heartstrings. Although it was not enough to turn him into a ghost, it was enough to get his attention, and maybe even... Change his mind.

The raven stepped forward mechanically, Itachi melting away into the background as a mere nuisance.

"Do you mean that?" He asked, leaning forward to look Naruto in the eyes. The blond squared his jaw and glared back at him.

"You said we shouldn't run away. We both felt it..." He trailed off anxiously, testing the word out on his tongue "Soul mates, you said..."

"It's not meant to be like this..." Sasuke murmured to himself. "A dead soul should never be made the soul mate of a living one... I thought you didn't want this, that's why I... That's why I brought you here, to fix it..."

"You want me to change soul mates..." Naruto stated shrewdly "You want to pass me off to someone else... Like an obligation. Is that all I am to you Sasuke? An Obligation?" (1)

"No!" The Uchiha protested. "It was more than that, for me it... It was only ever you.... Just you... My only..."

"Your only what?" Naruto pressed, glaring at the raven.

"You know as well as I do what I mean."

"But you can't say it."

"Neither can you!"

"Then it's settled... We _won't_ say it."

"But what are we going to _do _about it?"

"How should I know?! You're the expert here!"

"I'm the spirit that got caught in the middle of this madness; I don't know how to fix this!"

"**I do." **Sasuke and Naruto's heads snapped round at Itachi's words.

"You know?" They chorused. Itachi nodded.

"Think about it you two- What is a soul mate?" They looked at him, puzzled and Itachi sighed. "It's a single being, split into two halves. Therefore, theoretically, both souls can exist harmoniously, for instance- inside one body." The raven and blond exchanged knowing looks.

"You mean-"

"We could-"

"Merge?"

"Yes." Itachi nodded. "Naruto's body is a healthy specimen, capable of providing for both of you, so as long as it doesn't reject your soul, Sasuke, you could live inside him. All Naruto needs to do is allow you access." The blond titled his head suspiciously.

"What do you mean- 'as long as I don't reject Sasuke's soul'?" The elder Uchiha looked down uncomfortably.

"You must understand that at the beginning of time, when soul mates were split, they were meant to exist in separate vessels, purely for the sake of emotional convenience, or else the two halves' conflicting viewpoints would argue with themselves constantly. As two beings, one half could find solace from the other and have time to themselves. Although the two souls can easily be recombined, there's no guarantee the chosen body would be able to cope with the extra information a second soul would bring- twice the neural messages, twice the adrenaline, twice the difficulties. In such cases it is not unusual for a vessel to reject the second soul."

"And what happens then?"

"The invading soul would... Cease to exist." Sasuke stood a little straighter, confusion evident in his eyes.

"But the very _nature _of a soul is that it cannot be destroyed."

"But it _can_be damaged beyond repair." Itachi corrected. "Think of it as, being on life support, but being brain dead. Your soul would still technically 'exist' but your conscious wouldn't function, you wouldn't be able to sense anything, you would be...nothing."

Sasuke gulped.

"And... You expect me to-"

"It's a risk, Sasuke." The elder Uchiha agreed gravely. "A very substantial risk in fact, but one that is, perhaps, worthwhile, if it means making the one you belong with happy." Naruto shook his head and attempted to grab Sasuke's arm, but was disappointed to find his hand slip through the raven's translucent form.  
"Dead souls cannot be touched by the living." Sasuke muttered, a faraway look in his smoky eyes.

"Don't do it!" Naruto warned. "You'll be destroyed, and I'll lose you for good!_ I'd_ rather die, I'll kill myself- that way we can be together and there won't be any risks-"

"Don't be stupid!" Sasuke snarled "Suicide gives you a one way ticket to Hell. Besides, you have things to live for Naruto- before long Konoha will need a new Hokage."

"I told you, unless I save you, I'm not _worthy_of the title Hokage!"

"Then let me save myself!" Sasuke retorted, glaring at Naruto angrily. Itachi blinked. Was Sasuke...agreeing?

"You'd do that for me?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Yes."

"You could die."

"I know... but I'm willing to risk it." Itachi stepped forward and put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Are you sure Sasuke? This is your last chance to refuse."

'_He's not wavering...'_

"I think..." Sasuke began carefully "That after everything I've done, it only seems right that I give something back..." Itachi smiled proudly, and pulled his brother into a one armed hug.

"Congratulations Sasuke."

"What?" The younger Uchiha asked confusedly "What are you talking about? How do I make the transfer?"

"There isn't one." Itachi replied smirking. "You just passed His test."

"What?" Sasuke repeated.

"You just earned your white wings."

"WHAT?!"

A/N: It was getting too long, so I ended it here. Everything gets explained next chapter, so fear not :D Besides, you get a happy ending AND a lime :P

(1)- Cue 'OH's' of realisation of where the title came from XD


	15. No More Obligations

A/N: Well, I learned a lesson from this. You know you've left it too long from writing your stories when you need to reread the whole story before you're able to write the next chapter O_O' My apologies to all those who have been waiting... I tried to write this quickly and it was not beta'd, so my apologies if it's not good.

* * *

"How can I have earned my White Wings?" Sasuke protested, stepping forward towards his brother "That's insane Itachi! I don't-"

"You really think God would be happy to let such a selfish little brat into His kingdom Sasuke?" The raven was silenced and could only stare wide eyed at his aniki, silently begging for an explanation. "Heaven is for the just, for people who appreciate others feelings and don't simply act upon their own selfish desires... Up until today Sasuke, you've only ever thought of yourself."

"And... You knew about this?!" the other teen cried, outraged as the penny dropped and he realised that Itachi was leading him on from the very beginning. "You let me make a fool of myself trying to find Naruto's soul mate, when in reality it was all a ploy to teach me a lesson?!" Itachi looked both offended and amused at the same time and turned his head away from the younger boy.

"Well... Somewhat. It _was_a ploy to teach you a lesson, but I assure you that the mission to find Naruto's soul mate was very real. The only way to earn your white wings was to teach you the importance of human emotions... And the only way we could do that was by reuniting you with Naruto. So by showing the courage and willingness to sacrifice your own life, you have displayed the ultimate act of love; earning you a place in His kingdom." At this the elder Uchiha turned back to face his younger counterpart and lightly flicked Sasuke's forehead, giving the traditional smirk. "Congratulations otouto." Sasuke was lost for words.

"I-but-I-"

"_Go, _Sasuke." The raven had been interrupted by none other than his idiot soul mate himself. Sasuke turned incredulously to face Naruto.

"What did you say?"

"I'm telling you to go..." the blond repeated, looking anywhere but at Sasuke. "At least this way, when I die, I'm guaranteed to be reunited with you... And you won't die. "

"You'll go through life alone." The Uchiha replied coldly, openly challenging the blonds' idea and plainly saying 'don't be stupid.'

"I don't care... You'll be waiting for me." Sasukepulled a face and seemed to dissolve into his thoughts, but instead broke into his brother's mind and opened a connection.

'Itachi... Surely there has to be a way...'

'You're not gonna leave him?' Itachi replied, genuinely surprised. 'Even though you have the chance to go to heaven? Are you sure?'

'I'm sure. What's the point of going to heaven if neither of us are going to be happy?'

Itachi smiled and beckoned Sasuke towards him, the raven, as ever falling for the trick and running headlong into Itachi's fingers, leaving a red mark on his forehead.  
"... That hurt."

"You've really grown... I'm sure we can come up with an... Arrangement."

"Arrangement?" Sasuke asked suspiciously, narrowing his obsidian eyes at his brother. Itachi shrugged and stared at his nails (still painted purple from his days in Akatsuki).

"What do you say... Your body rebuilt, in exchange for a certain pair of white wings?" Sasuke blinked.

"You mean... My old form?"

"If you want."

"Itachi... Can you even do that? You're not God." The younger Uchiha asked doubtfully but he was met by a mysterious, rare, smile on his aniki's face.

"How do _you_ know that?"

"..." Sasuke gave his brother an incredulous stare, but the elder maintained that annoying half smirk and gestured towards Naruto.  
"Go home, don't blaspheme and enjoy your life together." As soon as the words slipped from Itachi's lips, the world around them began to dissolve into a dizzying kaleidoscope of colour; the blackness melted away into a blinding white light and Sasuke was falling, his limbs, his soul; his very mind on fire. He could not see, but rather sensed Naruto beside him, and as they fell he swore he heard a tantalising whisper from a world beyond that said:

"I'll be waiting for you otouto."

Then he hit the floor, realising the excruciating pain he had felt whilst transcending between the worlds was not simply temporary pain, but absolute agony.

"S-Sasuke..." Naruto stuttered from a place to his right, his tone holding a note that stuck Sasuke as very wrong.

"-" the raven tried to reply, but he realised he couldn't. Words would not form. His eyes could not see. His fingers could not touch. What was he?! Panic gripped Sasuke's mind and he jumped to the only sensible conclusion available: genjutsu. It had to be.

"S-Sasuke what the fuck...?" Naruto murmured. He heard the blond boy drop down onto his knees, the sound quite close by. The boy's shins had struck something hard and wooden, probably flooring, which meant that the rest of the location was likely to be Naruto's flat, considering the other boy did not seem surprised by his current location. Or at least, he didn't _sound_it. Sasuke suddenly felt the need to try talking a second time, and his gut instinct was telling him it would work.

"N-Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"What's happening to me?"

"I'm actually trying not to look..." the blond replied quietly, the sound muffled, making Sasuke presume he had covered his face with his hands or another object. This was getting scary now; what on earth was going on?!

"Naruto if you don't explain right now, so help me God I will throttle you!" the raven threatened, his voice sounding weirdly quiet. The blond gave a weak chuckle and then made a noise that sounded suspiciously like retching.

"I'd like to see you try it you Bastard... At the moment , you don't have any fingers. Or a hand, or an arm. "

"W-what?!"

"You're being... rebuilt Sasuke; your original form died right? So it's being rebuilt... Cell by cell by the looks of it." Sasuke swallowed in disgust, realising now why he was experiencing the worst growing pains of his life. Slowly but surely his vision was restored, becoming clearer and sharper as each new cell was built until it was crystal clear, but he dare not look at the lower half of his body; he still couldn't feel his legs. He felt a hand on his head and looked up to see a very pale Naruto gently sponging his burning forehead. Burning with the pain, and glistening with sweat.

"I swear if you're sick on me dobe I'll kill you."

"Yeah, yeah save it." Naruto shot back, concentrating fully on the task in hand and not daring to look at what work was still being done. Sasuke writhed as the pain began in his legs, spreading down from his thigh region to his shins and continuing forever as layer upon layer of muscle began to build up, making the raven's upper half contort with agony.

"Make it stop..." he hissed under his breath, as the torture pushed him to delirium. This was worse than anything he had experienced in any fight. To distract him, Naruto gently stroked the bare skin and spoke encouragingly to Sasuke, and occasionally throwing in the odd sidelong jibe

"How come God recreated you so skinny? Surely he could've improved you a little... And that skin of yours... He should've made a little more tanned." Sasuke really did carry through with his threat of throttling Narutothen, but his grip was weak as he got used to his new muscles and really it only succeeded in making the blond laugh. By the time the raven gave up on his would-be-killing escapade, he realised something very important. The pain had stopped. Raising his head and letting his grip go slack, he looked down at his new body for the first time and gingerly sat up, hugging his knees to his chest in a very self conscious way as the cold began to set in. Naruto gave a perverse grin and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I can think of something God might have wanted to enlarge as well." A fist in his face was his only reply as Sasuke gingerly got to his feet, swaying slightly he grabbed a sheet from the nearby bed and wrapped it around his muscular form, letting it hang from his body like the loose fitting robe of a king. Naruto groaned and sat up sticking out his tongue at the raven and stood up, gently supporting Sasuke's shaking form. He was clearly not used to his new... er... _old_ body yet.

"Something's wrong isn't it?" Naruto asked quietly. Sasuke nodded and shrugged slightly, letting the blond boy help him to the bed, and after seating himself comfortably he continued.

"It's just weird for me... I've been seeing the world through unreal eyes for so long; to finally be able to exist and affect the world again as a real person... It's hard."

"Thank you." Naruto interrupted, making Sasuke stare at him.

"For what?" The blond gave a wry smile and leaned in dangerously close till his breath was tickling the shell of Sasuke's ear. The sultry undertone was almost... threatening.  
"For coming back." Sasuke rolled his obsidian eyes at the soppy sentiment and wordlessly shoved Naruto down onto the mattress; catching him by surprise. Before he could say:

"What the fuck?!" Sasuke had already taken advantage of the small space that had appeared between the blonds lips and roughly pressed his own against Naruto's till the other boy was turning blue in the face (1). His smoky cold eyes burned into baby blue, emitting the desire to dominate; Uchiha's did not back down from a challenge. Naruto smirked as he was released and stuck out his tongue again.

"You call that a kiss? Where's the passion? The lust?" he slowly edged forward until Sasuke's was leaning in the opposite direction, almost flat against the bed himself, Naruto hands either side of his body with just a single sheet between them. The blond dipped his head so their cheeks were pressed against each other.

"I will not be controlled..." he breathed pressing a soft kiss onto Sasuke's cheek and crossing the distance across his jaw to his mouth, sensually running his finger across the plump cushions that were just a tad too dry to be perfect and invaded them skilfully and silently, making the raven completely succumb without a struggle. When they broke apart Naruto's eyes seemed to have a feral sharpness continued within them.

"And _that's _how you kiss... Not that I'd expect you to know, considering the only action you ever got was a clumsy snog when we were 12."

"Do you have to bring that up?" Sasuke groaned, pulling the blanket tighter around him. "Way to kill the mood baka... And anyway how do _you _know how to do this stuff?!" Naruto bit his lip and flushed slightly red.

"While you were... er... dead, I went off the rails a bit." He confessed, realising that he had possibly just said the weirdest sentence he would ever speak in his whole life.

"You think? I've read the mission report you dumbass, I know all about your previous instabilities."

"I um... Sorta, well, gave in to myself..." Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"By which you mean...?"

"I was drinking a lot of alcohol at the time... and er... well, you know what happens when a horny teenager gets drunk." The raven shook his head in fake disgust, secretly thankful that in the future at least one of them would know what they were doing in the bedroom. Naruto pouted and looked away ashamed.

"I didn't... If I could go back and do it over then I wouldn't have." The teens suddenly realised the position they were in: Naruto straddling an almost naked Sasuke and sharing a rather dodgy conversation to boot. The two quickly separated from each other, thoroughly aware that the mood had not just been killed, but had been shot multiple times, had a javelin go through it the wrong way and had been dragged through a hedge backwards just to add some extra humiliation.

"Sorry." Sasuke stated gruffly, turning his head away from the blond.

"It's O.K... It's my fault too. Weird day huh?" Naruto grinned sheepishly, trying unsuccessfully to make small talk with the raven.

"..Slightly (!)" Sasuke replied scathingly.

"I-it's not that I don't want to" the blond boy began awkwardly , fiddling with his hands. "But it's just you're my be-"

"I think we're a bit past that point now." Sasuke replied coldly, interrupting before Naruto could tack on the, almost insulting, word 'friend' to their new, complicated relationship.

"But it's true! What if we do this together and then we don't work out... Our friendship would be r-"

"We won't 'not work out'. We're soul mates you fool." The raven replied exasperatedly. "We're 2 souls originally bound to one body, do you not understand? We're perfect. That's what it means."

"So why are you nervous then?"

"Because you're right... I haven't done this sort of thing before." Naruto couldn't help but snort at this news.

"I can't believe that with all the girls fawning over you, I managed to get laid and you didn't."

"_Naruto_!" Sasuke growled warningly, making him swiftly shut up.

"So you're worried about being judged..." At this the raven didn't reply but turned his head away again, pulling the sheet even closer, particularly around his lower religions and making a grunting noise of what could have been agreement, that sounded like rusted machinery crunching. Naruto deadpanned at the other teen's shyness, but realised it was only to be expected, considering Sasuke was always very insecure child ever since he was very young, who craved attention. Naruto would now provide that attention.

"Sasuke... Do me a favour?"

"Yeah?"

"Drop the sheet."

"Huh?" The raven protested, shuffling away from the blond and clutching the material as if it were a lifeline.

"Sasuke you need to understand something, now for Christ's sake, drop it." The blond replied, grabbing hold of the cover and tugging It insistently.  
"What are you going to do?" Sasuke bit out, knowing full well that Naruto was known for his unpredictability and that there was a very high chance that he would jump him.

"Please?" the blond tried again, giving Sasuke a death glare that told him to obey. The raven teen bit his lip and then relented, knowing that if it came to a fight between perverted Narutoand himself, he would easily win. He stood up, placing a well masked expression of indifference onto his face and began scrunching the sheet little by little till he held a small clump of bedding, hesitating when he had to remove it completely form his private area. When he stood naked, he couldn't help but look away from Naruto's gaze, feeling extremely exposed and instead chose an unthreatening patch of wall to stare at through glazed opal coloured eyes. Naruto rose from the bed and let his hands trail down the toned body- a miracle all by itself. The boy was just the same as Naruto remembered; the scars from his past training were all ingrained into the flesh like deep running veins that were an integral part of his being. It showed the world who he was- Sasuke Uchiha- the survivor. The taught muscles flexed under his touch, and Naruto let his rough hands caress the pale chest, finding their way to the other boy's hands and linking their fingers together in the silence of the night. He pushed his forehead against Sasuke's.

"I don't care what you look like, or how much experience you'vehad. I don't give a damn..." Narutopaused and smiled "I don't even care that you're not a girl." The raven gave a small smile and shut his eyes, murmuring almost to himself.

"I'm really free aren't I? The end of the line... No more obligations."

"Not the end... The beginning." Narutocorrected smirking, letting his hand wonder even further down the ravens sculpted body, making him gasp softly and give the blond a half hearted glare. Naruto realised his unease and attempted to reassure him. "Sasuke... I mean it when I say we don't have to." But this time he received the traditional arrogant response.

"I know we don't have to you idiot, I _want_ to.. The only person I'm worried about is you, and if you're strong enough to take me on..."

"Well..." Naruto breathed, letting his tongue trail lazily up the raven's neck "Only one way to find out?"

In the afterlife, a satisfied Itachi turned away from the scene below out of courtesy for his brother and turned back to his double facing him.

* * *

"You did good Itachi." The other informed him, smiling. Itachi gavea small bow back as a 'you're welcome'. "In fact... I'd say you deserve a reward." At this the stoic Uchiha's ears perked up and he raised a thin eyebrow at his mirror image.

"What do you mean Sir?"

"I mean, I have a pair of white wings that are currently without an owner and a servant who is most deserving of them." Itachi's eyes widened, the display of emotion extremely out of character. (2)

"Are you serious?"

"I'm not one to joke, Itachi."

The Uchiha smiled and gave another bow, just as a pair of white wings began to blossom from his back, between his shoulder blades, reaching all the way down to the ground, the white feathers contrasting against the inky background of nothingness that was Purgatory. The double smiled and indicated upwards, where a bright light began to consume the would-be-sky above Itachi's head.

"They're waiting for you son." The elder Uchiha shut his eyes, and let himself be taken by the essence of life emanating from the light. He could hear the innocent sound of childhood laughter, smelt freshly mown grass of the countryside and heard the peaceful twinkling of wind chimes in the distance that reminded him of his mother's house in the Uchiha district and let himself be drawn into the dream, his soul being cleansed of sin and feeling lighter than it had in many, many years. His white wings spread, and lifted him upwards; higher and higher until he could feel nothing but peace.

"See you on the other side... foolish little brother."

* * *

The End

* * *

(1) If any of you have seen the kiss between Shinji and Asuka in Neon Genesis Evengellion, then you will understand what poor Naruto is going through here XD

(2) If I draw attention to the OOCness my theory is it won't be criticised ;) And as for the mysterious 'other' Itachi, who knows? The way I figured is that it didn't make sense for Itachi to havethe power to take/give Sasuke his wings because he's not powerful enough... So you can decide who the double really is for yourself.

A/N: *sings* "Baby, don't be shy, it's time to come alive. Yeah, have a good time, so get your hands high. Groove 'cause it feels right, under the moonlight. Nod your head with me."

It's a weird coincidence that as I was writing the rebirth of Sasuke in this chapter, I was also listening to this song XD. Yup, that's the end of OoTA (however I did begin to write a short epilogue which unfortunately got deleted accidentally... I may post it soon when I do a rewrite...) as you can tell, I opted out of the lime scene, however if people want me to write one I can send it via people's profiles. Thanks to all the lovely people that have put up with/ reviewed/alerted/faved this story and I hope you are satisfied with this ending; I sure as hell had fun writing this fic :D Bonne chance and farewell.

Chaos

x


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